


Nothing You Could Do

by BloodyHooker



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dorks, Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Growing Up, Heavy Angst, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Love/Hate, Minor Violence, Multi, Non-Consensual, Platonic Relationships, Sexual Abuse, Teen Angst, Teenagers, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, chain smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 04:57:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyHooker/pseuds/BloodyHooker
Summary: After just turning 18, Edd loosens up, the Kankers are back and things are about to take a turn in a direction the young man never expected.





	1. Happy 18th Birthday, Eddward

**Author's Note:**

> First, I'm back. Second, I will admit that I've been avoiding posting this story anywhere but I think that it's time that I get over myself and just post something that I'm proud of. Please be kind, its been a long while since I've written a consistent story of any sort. I hope its not too hard to read. There's much more to come and a lot of crazy shit planned for future chapters. 
> 
> That being said, this is just the beginning and shit is about to get real. So buckle the fuck up and lets do this.
> 
> Will add more tags and such as the story progresses.

Eddward,

As you know, mine and your Father’s company has been flourishing immensely, which has allowed us to climb the corporate ladder rather rapidly. That being said, an opportunity has arose that requires temporary relocation overseas. Your Father and I have accepted this rare offer and have decided that you are to continue your schooling the the states, as your education is terribly important.  
We have left you with access to the bank account with hope that you’ll use it for only your absolute necessities. We are due to return in fourteen months on October 13th. We trust you’ll take care of our home and belongings as well as yourself. We will try to keep in contact as often as possible. Take care, son. We love you very much.

With Love,  
Mother and Father.

 

It had been a year to the date since Edd had found his Mother’s handwritten letter face down on the coffee table. Amongst the letter, the young man’s parents had left what appeared to be the newest smartphone on the market, programmed and ready for his immediate use. Next to that lay a thick black debit card, as promised.

Edd didn’t cry when the idea of his parents being gone for such an extended period of time sunk in. He had long grown out of his childish crybaby phase that he had held on to into early adolescence, however, the nagging irritation of his parents leaving yet another note as a form of communication for a serious situation deeply bothered the young teen.

It wasn’t even the fact that they had left without so much as a word prior to the letter; it wasn’t that he wouldn’t see either of them for fourteen months. Hell, it wasn’t even the matter of nearly every time they skipped town on their teenaged son they eased their own guilt by buying him some sort of gadget or leaving a large sum of money. It was the raw FACT that his own Mother and Father had forgotten his birthday for the third year in a row.

“Four years, and counting.” The raven haired teen sighed to himself as he watched the digital clock that was perched atop his immaculate night stand swap the hour that now read ‘12:00 am.’

Swiveling back and forth in his computer chair, he neatly folded the dog-eared letter in half. The tiny loops of his Mothers elegant cursive was beginning to hurt his eyes. His prescription reading glasses nowhere to be found.

The boy set the letter down on his desk, lifting a slender hand to rub the inner corner of his eyes with his thumb and index finger. Yawning, Eddward stretched his long legs out before him.

Despite his childhood frame being petite, he had gained a bit of height during his less than pleasant journey through puberty. The same couldn’t be said for his ability to gain weight; the teen had grown to six foot even. Yet, he couldn’t gain an ounce over one hundred and thirty seven pounds.

A faint rhythmic buzzing sound caught the teen’s attention from across the room. Edd lifted himself from his chair hastily, fingers crossed that his phone would reveal an unread message from his parents wishing him a ‘Happy Birthday.’ He couldn’t count on it, but he could sure as Hell hope.

Edd unlocked his now illuminated screen to show an unread message from Eddy. With a grunt of disappointment, he opened the message from one of his best friends.

From: Eddy  
“ **Yo sock head u should let us in. I can c ur bedroom light on.** ”

‘ _What could those two possibly need from me at this hour?_ ’ He asked himself whilst slipping on his house slippers. As Eddward padded down the hallway that lead from bedroom to the top of the staircase, he could hear Eddy’s piercing voice scolding Ed for being… Well, Ed.

Taking two steps at a time, the teen descended the stairs in time to open the door to witness an unmistakable towering body with shaggy copper colored hair, and his signature olive green jacket- bringing a much smaller boy with thick dark hair, donning his own trademark attire- into a chokehold. Giggling madly, the largest of the Ed’s eyes fell on Eddward’s figure before him.

“Double-D!!” The enormous teen exclaimed. “Happy Birthday!” Ed’s voice resonated in the scrawny teens ears, as his lovable oaf of a friend dropped the smaller boy and enveloped Double-D into a tight hug.

“Good to see you too, Ed.” Double-D strained from under Ed’s constricting embrace. Ed laughed goofily as he released his slender buddy and then turned his attention to Eddy, who seemed to be more than a bit agitated by Ed’s strength and significant lack of self control.

Eddy shot his six foot four inch friend a glare, yet managed not to cause a scene, he then focused his attention on Double-D.

“Look, Sock-head… we know you get all bent out of shape about your birthday and shit…” Eddy ran a nervous hand through his short messy hair. “‘Cause, well… you know… BUT, Lumpy and I are gonna give you somethin’ special!” Eddy perked up and gave his lanky friend his best shit-eating grin.

“And what may _THAT_ be?” Edd nearly groaned at the thought of yet another one of Eddy’s childish schemes going awry.

“A party, Double-D!” Ed bellowed into his face, nearly knocking the gangly teen over.

 

“Yeah! Listen, Sock-head, I KNOW it sounds crazy, and I just KNOW you’re gonna bellache over it…” Eddy sighed and threw his arm around the taller boy’s shoulders. “But Big-Ed and I got everythin’ covered. We got all the Cul-De-Sac kids comin’ over for your Birthday. PLUS, we all agree that you need to lighten up. You only turn eighteen once, and you’re always so wound up, just let us do this ONE thing for you. PLEASE?!” The smaller of the Ed’s grinned from ear to ear, giving Edd his finest puppy-dog eyes.

“Whaddaya say, Double-D, huh?” Eddy pleaded.

Edd stammered nervously, not knowing what to take of the situation being presented to him. He could see many a thing going wrong with his friends’ screwy little plan. On the other hand, Eddy was right. Double-D had always been a wet-blanket to countless functions; Birthday parties, barbecues, school dances, you name it. He was always on the other side dampening the fun for anybody involved. The brunette took a moment to mull over his position but quickly gave a sigh of defeat.

“Very well, Eddy. You win. I’ll partake in your shenanigans; however, I must know WHERE you’re planning on hosting this _party_.” Double-D jeered at the last word, raising his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“At your place, _of course_. No better place to have a shindig than at the Birthday boy’s house right?!” The short teenager declared.

Taking his arm from around Edd’s shoulders, he snapped his fingers at the biggest Ed, who was now vigorously picking at his nose and flicking the remains from his fingers. Before Double-D had a chance to protest, Eddy demanded both the other boys to follow back to Ed’s parked truck in the driveway.

“Ed! You get the speakers from the back and don’t you dare drop ‘em. Those things are expensive.” The stocky Ed barked the command to his friend just before Ed lifted Edd’s two large home speakers from his truck-bed, tucking one under each arm as he merrily wobbled up the walkway and through Edd’s front door.

“Eddy, you can’t be serious…” The thin teen protested as Eddy shoved two heavy grocery bags into his hands. Double D’s weak arms nearly gave out from the sudden weight bestowed upon them. “ What on God’s green earth is in these bags, Eddy?!” He cried out to his dear buddy who seemed to have taken the lighter of the loads and was now halfway through the threshold of his home.

After struggling to carry the hefty bags and having the circulation to his fingers being temporarily obstructed, Edd clumsily tossed the bags onto his kitchen table. The sound of clinking glass caught his attention.

Reaching into one of the opaque sacks, he grasped the thin neck of a large glass bottle. Double-D removed the bottle and inspected it's label; ‘Bacardi-Superior.’ Eddward’s sudden realization crashed down upon him like a pile of bricks. It was that kind of party.

A wave of panic began to invade Edd’s senses. He had never experienced a get together of that sort of nature. Sure, he had indulged in a light beer or two whenever Ed’s monster movie marathons were premiering on T.V., but they never did anything to him.

Double-D’s heart pounded uncomfortably against his ribcage as a surging feeling of uneasiness came over him.The lanky teen couldn’t put his finger on the source of his growing nervousness; he just knew that this hare-brained plan was NOT a good idea.

“E-Eddy… Honestly, is all of this n-necessary?” He stammered.

“I mean- I’m sure we would be able to have an enjoyable time without the consumption of alcoholic beverages.” Edd cracked a tense smile in hopes that his friend would somehow take his suggestion into consideration.

“No WAY, Double-D!” Eddy screeched. “I shelled out a fuck-load ‘a cash on this shit! I ain’t wastin’ it just cause you wanna wuss out on me! NO WAY!” The short boy reached into the grocery sack he held in the crease of his elbow. Yanking out a package of red solo cups, he ripped the protective plastic from around the stack of cups. “I’ll make ‘ya a drink, ‘ya won’t even taste the booze!”

“Eddy…” Double-D began to object, but was immediately interrupted by his best friend.

“Look, Sock-Head, Ed’s setting up the music and everyone’s ‘bout to start showin’ up…” Eddy twisted the lid off of a bottle of coconut rum and proceeded to pour a fair amount into a cup.

“And I don’t mean to sound like a dick, or anythin’. But you REALLY should tone down the goody two shoes act.” Reaching into a second bag, Eddy pulled out a container of cranberry juice, unscrewed the lid and filled Edd’s cup the rest of the way.

“So, just for tonight will ‘ya try to have a little bit of fun?” The rest of Eddy’s agitation diminished when he handed Edd the full cup.

The skinny boy hesitated with the drink in his hand, battling the inner guilt of defying everything his parents had drilled into his head from an early age.

‘ _Alcoholic beverages are for adults and adults only, Eddward. Don’t ruin your life before you have the chance to live it_.’ His Mother’s words reverberated in his mind, but he couldn’t help but nit-pick the technicality in her words.

Alcoholic beverages were for adults. If Double-D was correct, the legal age of becoming an adult was eighteen.

It was about eight past twelve in the morning, thereby branding him as an adult. With a stroke of confidence, Edd lifted the drink to his lips and took a generous gulp.

The thought of his parents witnessing his blatant disregard of everything they had warned him about, and not being able to do a goddamned thing about it tasted sweeter than the imitation coconut flavor on his tongue.


	2. Old Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short reintroduction of some old friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short but I promise we're getting to the good stuff

The gangly teen helped himself to another swig of the alcoholic concoction and the smooth liquid coated the empty lining of his stomach. A pleasant warming sensation began inside himself, spreading throughout his entire body. Edd’s cheeks flushed in response to the conventionally forbidden substance being absorbed into his bloodstream.

“Atta boy, Sock-head! I knew you’d come around!” The squat friend of Double-D’s proclaimed as he excitedly poured a drink for himself and one for Ed, who was supposed to be setting the music up in the front room, but seemed to have gone, strangely enough- quiet.

Ed’s absent boisterousness raised suspicion between the two other boys, there was hardly ever a moment that went by where Ed wasn’t causing a commotion of some sort.

“Ed?” Eddy called before shuffling from one end of the kitchen to the entrance of the living room, with drinks in hand and Double-D trailing behind. 

“Yeah! No… Really! Don’t worry, they won’t mind! Yeah, I’m sure…….. Okay… Okay. I love you, too. Bye!” The largest of the Ed’s whispered into a shabby old flip phone the lovable oaf has probably had since middle school. 

Ed crammed his out-dated cell phone into the back pocket of his worn, holey jeans and angled his head to peek over his wide shoulder, only to be greeted by Eddy’s stocky body directly behind him.

The young man’s expression could only be described as an even cross between rage and repulsion.

“You invited that Kanker, didn’t you, Ed?” Eddy seethed. His deep blue eyes narrowed as he set the two full cups on Edd’s coffee table. 

Despite Eddy remaining the smallest one of the group, he has kept his ability to be overwhelmingly intimidating, especially to Ed.

Ed, still kneeling on the ground, glanced around the room nervously, desperately attempting to avoid his friends piercing glare.

He ran his long fingers through his shaggy, ginger hair, and peeked up at Eddy through the fringe of his wavy bangs; a hint of guilt reflected in his azure eyes.

“But, Eddy…” The lofty teen protested.

“May feels left out ‘cause I never invite her to stuff we do, and then she gets mad, ‘cause she’s my girlfriend, and then there’s no sexy time for Ed!” The young man cried as he pouted up toward his friends, who was still showing obvious displeasure.

“Geez Ed, are you really THAT pussy whipped?” Eddy groaned, planting a firm palm to the side of his face in frustration.

“Eddy, if I may interject; I don’t think it would be so terrible if May were to come to keep Ed company. After all, she’s significantly more tolerable than her… insufferable sisters.” Double-D’s words held nothing but the absolute truth.

May Kanker, the youngest of the sisters, who still had her trademark long blonde hair, and extremely distinguishable overbite was the most respectable of the girls by far.

From what Double-D had seen during the year and a half she and Ed had been dating, she appeared to be very likeable and kindhearted. Unlike Lee and Marie.

Lee Kanker is the oldest of the siblings, as well as the one who lead her younger sisters into mischief. The fiery red-head constantly pining after Eddy’s affection, was a year their senior and had graduated the year before them. Leaving Marie and May to branch off, rather than follow in their eldest siblings footsteps. 

Marie Kanker, the middle sister, gave Edd the impression that she is the wildest of the three. She kept her short mess of hair dyed a dangerous cobalt blue, and an everlasting sneer tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Not to mention the kids that she’s gathered as friends. A crude group of budding adults that had nothing better to do than loiter around the park smoking cigarettes while disturbing any body they deemed lesser than themselves. 

A mass of black clothing, metal studs and spikes poking through young flesh, illegally acquired tattoos, and glares that could burn holes through steel. Edd especially went out of his way to avoid Marie, though she hadn’t pestered him since their freshman year of high school and didn’t show any interest in doing so.

Eddy’s face twisted into a grimace. “Yeah, okay, I guess MAY can come. But ONLY may, Ed.”

 

\---

 

“One moment, please!” Double-D called out from the bassy music blaring from the speakers. It was 12:18 in the morning, and the first group of kids had arrived.

Edd pushed himself off his parents couch and stumbled to the front door, the young man felt a touch of dizziness but nothing close to the point of inebriation.

Squinting through the peephole, Double-D could make out three solid figures in the dark. He opened the door, letting the inside light cast upon the three bodies. Standing on his front porch, were the Ed’s childhood friends and classmates, Kevin, Rolf and Nazz.

“Happy Birthday, Double D!” The petite, blonde woman exclaimed, pulling Edd into a tight embrace.

“I’m so stoked that I could make it, my Dad almost made me stay home!” Nazz turned up her head to smile at Edd, letting out an exceptionally charming giggle.

Double D’s already slightly flushed cheeks burned a deeper shade of crimson instantaneously.

Growing up, Nazz had always been the object of Edd’s affection, not unlikely from most of the other Cul-De-Sac boys.

He had always admired her sincere kindness towards Ed, Eddy and himself when others harassed them for various reasons. 

More often than not she stood up against the bullies that plagued him throughout his childhood and early teenage years, even going so far as to rally against her own boyfriend, Kevin, when he used to torment and tease the Ed’s.

Maybe it was Kevin’s early discovery of weed, Nazz keeping him grounded, or a combination of the two, but the redhead had mostly ceased to bother them anymore. Friendly, yet petty jabs largely directed towards Eddy were as far as his bullying went nowadays. 

“I-I’m pleased you could make it, as well, Nazz.” The young man stammered from under her strong hug. Nazz beamed at Double D once more before releasing him from her grip, and taking hold of Kevin’s arm. 

Kevin and Nazz hadn’t changed much aside from the obvious height and physique differences children and young adults should have.

Kevin was lean, yet muscular, as much as anyone would expect from an athlete. In middle school he played football and basketball, but soon lost interest in both and took up baseball their freshman year of high school. He excelled quickly and kept a well earned position as team captain since their sophomore year. His former gingery hair had transitioned to an auburn tone, and the freckles that adorned his skin had only multiplied from hours spent in the sun.

He still sported a red baseball cap, and now donned a lime green hoodie and black skinny jeans.

Nazz gained a curvy figure, and stayed in fantastic shape. She no longer did cheerleading but took up lacrosse instead. She had long since abandoned her short blonde bob, and now kept her shoulder blade length hair in a tight pony-tail, out of habit from her sport.

Living up to the nick name Rolf called her by, she more often than not, paraded around in the trendiest clothing she could find. 

Rolf stood quietly behind his two shorter friends with his familiar friendly smirk on his lips. 

Rolf was nearly exactly the same, aside from his height and build. He was around Ed’s height, but substantially more muscular.

Tending to his family’s farm had aided in gaining his sturdiness, along with his involvement in the schools wrestling team. Aside from that, his English had gotten better, but Rolf was still Rolf, set in his strange ways.

“Sup, Double Dork. I brought beer and pot, it’s cool if we smoke here, right?” Kevin questioned as he lifted each of the 30 pack of Bud Lite that he carried in either hand. 

Edd tensed up at Kevin’s request, he had never allowed the drug to be anywhere near his home let alone granting permission to someone to smoke it inside the house. But again, Eddy’s words popped into his thoughts. 

Tonight he wasn’t going to be so uuptight, he was going to let loose and let himself and his friends do as they please. He was going to have fun.

Double D made way for the teenagers to pass.

“Of course, I don’t mind.” He grinned as his classmates progressed through the threshold, Kevin and Rolf en route to his kitchen, and Nazz remaining in the living room area, chatting up Eddy, who seemed rather flustered as he developed a deep blush across his cheeks.


	3. Truth Or Dare Is Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth or Dare happens and our favorite teens discover each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, there is nsfw content in this chapter so if that makes you uncomfortable or you don't like it, I would skip this chapter /)-(\

Shutting the door behind the last group of kids that consisted of Sarah and Jimmy, Double D glanced at the clock aside the entryway.

The hands ticked slowly, showing that it was now 12:30. The only expected guest left was May Kanker, but Edd planned on letting Ed take care of that situation when the time came.

The teen settled back down on the untarnished, brown leather couch. The speakers were blasting fast, heavy bass accompanied by various rappers with angry, guttural voices that barked barely coherent lyrics. Edd couldn’t wrap his head around how anybody could classify it as music. It was all just noise to him.

Edd absorbed bits and pieces of conversations that were happening around him, Kevin offering Nazz a delicate looking pipe.

“Want another hit, babe?” And the blonde declining.

Sarah with a firm hand on her cocked hip, and a miffed expression as her elder brother held nearly the same expression with more concern furrowed in his brow.

“I won’t tell mom, if you won’t tell mom.”

The young man smiled inwardly, it had been too long since the lot of them had been in the same room together. The familiar buzzing of the doorbell brought Edd back to reality, and before he could get off the couch Ed already had the door open and May in a tight bear hug.

In any case, Edd had gotten up, as he needed to go to the restroom.

He returned shortly to discover a familiar head of curly vermillion colored hair, now seated in his former spot on the couch, her body turned to face May, who sat in the middle, then Ed, on the end with his arm around the blond haired sister’s shoulders.

A twinge of anxiety gripped his chest, and he breathed deeply in a poor attempt to contain it. If Lee and May were here, it would be fair to assume that Marie was as well.

Double D scanned over the room, keeping his eyes peeled for the untamed female that is Marie Kanker. After not being able to find the blue haired girl amongst his peers, Edd chugged the inch of liquid left in his cup and motioned his way to the kitchen.

He set his cup on the table that was crowded with an assortment of alcohol, non alcoholic drinks, and a variety of finger foods Nazz and Kevin brought with them.

Edd chose an alcohol at random and got the cap off when he noticed the mess of short cobalt hair just beyond the window. A puff of white smoke rose above her head and slowly dissipated into the warm August air. Maybe it was the booze going to his head, but he felt the impulsion to talk to her.

The awkward teen reasoned with himself and decided that it was only right to greet her; after all, he was the host.

He slid the glass door open with ease, and took a step out into the cooling air. The boy opened his mouth to speak but stuttered over his chapped lips.

“H-hello, Marie. I wasn’t expecting to see you here, tonight.” Edd closed the door behind him and folded his arms against the breeze.

“Can’t say I expected to be here, either.” A smooth response as she took a deep drag from her cigarette, smiling at him from behind the smoke. Her deep dimples on display from the brightness of the porch light made left Edd gawking.

Edd was staring dumbly at her face, wondering and trying to remember if she had always been that pretty. Her skin was pale, more so than his own, the heavy spatter of freckles across her cheeks and shoulders only emphasized that fact. Her smile didn’t seem as threatening as it did when he spotted her in the hallways at school, or the many other places her friends and herself tended to hang out. 

Double D never noticed how short she was compared to her own sisters and especially himself. He never noticed how petite and slender she was, or even the color of her eyes, which were a brilliant, yet unusual amber color.

He had always perceived the woman as terrifying, always avoiding her out of fear of torment, but now that he was alone with her, slightly buzzed and significantly more calm than usual, he was seeing her in a whole new light.

“Did you want some?” Marie pulled him back to reality with the offhanded question as she held out her lit cigarette for the boy to take.

Edd hesitated for a moment before pinching the body of the filter between his fingers.

“I’ve never smoked a cigarette before.” The brunette admitted. Glancing downward, he met her fawn colored eyes, fully expecting her to mock or tease him for being so “innocent” or something. The girl gave small smile and held her hand back out for her smoke.

“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.” Maries smile held worry and amusement as Edd held the cigarette to his lips, and breathed in the smoke a little too strongly. A violent bout of coughs erupted from his throat, and tears sprung to his eyes. The young man quickly handed the cancer stick back to it's rightful owner.

Marie bit her lip in vain effort to contain her laughter, she’d never thought of Double D to be the type to be okay with smoking, let alone wanting to try it. A small giggle slipped out before she could speak.

“Ha, I probably should have warned you.” She took a long drag and exhaled slowly before offering him another chance.

They remained on the back porch for quite a bit of time, passing the smoke back and forth. Marie taking a few puffs, handing it back to Edd, Edd choking on the smoke, though a little less each time, and repeat until it burned down to the butt. Marie flicked it into the short dark grass and the two began to head back inside. They were greeted by the group of ten kids all gathered around Double D’s kitchen table. Eddy was in the center, pouring several shots.

Eddy glanced over towards the two that just wandered in, narrowing his eyes at the sight of the smallest Kanker sister.

Marie brushed off Eddy’s disdainful glare and sauntered over to the table where the other kids ignored her for the most part. Jimmy and Sarah gave the blue haired Kanker girl a once over before stepping out of her way and shooting each other a look, clearly mocking Marie. She either didn’t seem to notice or even really care. Marie poured two shots without so much as a glance towards the bratty young teens.

For about half an hour, Double D and Marie hung around the kitchen chatting and sipping at the drinks the girl had made for them. The more time passed the more Edd found himself becoming more comfortable around the young lady that he had formerly feared. 

He found himself learning more about her than he had in the years he’s known her. She talked of her love for music and how she taught herself how to play guitar when she was a little girl.

He learned that she’s highly intelligent and was able to keep up with his drunken, scientific ramblings and vast vocabulary. Throughout their conversation Double D noticed his ability to articulate slowly decline, the slight numbness of his tongue left him slurring his words.

The taller teenager had put away two shots and was well on his way to being done with his third drink of the night. 

During a particularly bad slurring spell he felt a cool slender hand curl around his own that was holding the cup. Marie’s eyes held a hint of amusement when she met his gaze. 

“Dude, I think you’ve had enough for right now.” A peal of a small giggle left her lips as she spoke, managing to peel the cup from Double D’s grasp.

Her laugh, dear God, her laugh. He found himself thinking about cheesy comparisons to her gorgeous laugh, and blushed furiously in self embarrassment.

Then, for the second time in the past hour he caught himself staring stupidly at her features; her pointed ski-slope nose, her bright, large almond shaped eyes. Slowly, his line of sight made its way down to her lips. They were thinner, but the perfect cupid's bow shape was more than a little appealing. Edd wondered what it would be like to kiss her, willingly this time. If her lips were as soft as they looked.

While he could manage to refrain from drunkenly assaulting her face, he couldn’t keep the words from spilling out.

“You’re, like, really pretty.” Double D nearly had a heart attack from what just came out of his own mouth. Not so much the statement itself, but more so the phrasing. He sounded like an idiot.

Marie blinked slowly, then threw her head back as she laughed. Edd’s cheeks flushed yet another deeper shade of crimson, inwardly cursing himself for saying anything at all.

“God, Edd. Sorry, but that was really fucking funny.” The blue haired Kanker girl choked out, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. She sighed deeply, and as abruptly as her laughter came, a serious expression took over. “It’s okay, though. You’re drunk; I know you didn’t mean it.” Marie stated almost sadly.

Edd opened his mouth to retort, but felt familiar fingers wrap around his wrist, pulling him in the direction of his living room.

“C’mon. Let’s go see what the other losers are doing.”

In the living room the music had been turned down to a low rumble and the group of young adults began to gather around a certain red headed woman.

“Aw, Jesus. What’s Lee up to now?” Marie grumbled, shuffling towards her loud mouthed older sister with Double D in tow. Lee Kanker perched herself atop Edd’s glass coffee table and was commanding the attention of everybody in the room.

“All right kiddies, here’s the deal…” The red head grinned smugly. “We’re gonna kick this party up a notch. I believe we’re all familiar with a game called ‘Truth or Dare.’”

Under normal circumstances the group would have responded with complaints and protesting whines, or downright refusing to play the game at all. Instead Lee’s ears were greeted by hoots and hollers of excitement from the intoxicated bunch of teenagers.

Everyone knew the routine and began pushing Edd’s parent’s furniture against the walls so they could create a large circle in the middle of the living room. Double D figured he had offended Marie in some way, because instead of taking the spot on the floor next to him she plopped down almost halfway down the circle, leaving May, Ed, and Jonny in between them. He spent a few seconds beating himself up over it, before Lee demanded attention once more.

“Listen up! We’re tweaking the rules a bit. Rule one: There are no rules when it comes to Truths or Dares. Rule two: If you wanna use a chicken, you have to choose between shotgunning a beer, ooorrr losing some of your clothes. Other than that, regular Truth or Dare rules. We start with the initiator, which is me, and then whoever is picked for a truth or a dare goes next, understand?”

A collective yell of “yeah’s” rung out as Lee took a spot in between Eddy and Sarah.

The truths and dares started out innocently enough, Lee started with Kevin, daring him to take a shot of random condiments he was supposed to choose blind folded. The athlete nearly heaved, but quickly recovered and a good sport about it. Kevin then picked Eddy, who was dared to go streaking around the block, but used a chicken and lost his shirt.

The circle made it back to Lee before the truths and dares began to get risque. Marie had put down a couple beers since the game started, and took to roasting Lee to her face. So naturally Lee chose her younger sister as her next victim, who confidently chose ‘dare.’

“Okay, big mouth, I dare you to show off them cute little piercings you got last summer.” The red headed sister snorted back a laugh, looking over to May, who gave a guffaw of her own. “Yeah, Marie. Why don’t cha show ‘em off? It’s a small gesture, really.” The two girls erupted in a fit of giggles. 

Marie, not being one to back down, glared menacingly at her two siblings. Standing up tall, she gripped the hem of her baggy tank top. “Fuck both of you.” The blue haired girl growled as she slowly pulled the shirt over her head. Revealing her bare midriff, there was a shiny metal bar poking through the skin on her navel. She hesitated for a moment, but she really didn’t want to chug another beer, and she would have had to take clothes off, anyway. She pulled her shirt off, revealing her small chest. She wasn’t well endowed in the breast department, Edd noticed. But what he did notice, were the tiny metal bars poking through each nipple. It took all of his willpower to look away quickly, so he wouldn’t have to deal with a certain ‘problem.’

Double D could hear the collection of responses. Kevin and Eddy simultaneously exclaiming “Damn.” Sarah’s voice scolding Jimmy not to look, Marie’s sisters giggling wildly, and he swore he heard Nazz say; “That’s kind of hot.” Honestly, he really wanted to look, quite badly, but it wasn’t worth putting himself in an extremely awkward situation. He heard the rustle of clothing from Marie’s direction.

“Gonna go smoke, wanna come with, Double D?” A small hand clapped him on the shoulder and thank the heavens she had her shirt back on. The dark haired teen nodded and stumbled when he tried to get up, he was still pretty drunk, but held no signs of feeling ill or passing out.

Edd followed Marie out to the back porch and closed the door behind him. The small woman greeted him with his own cigarette, which she lit for him.

The two teenagers leaned against the side of the house smoking in silence. Neither one of them were bothered by the stillness, but Edd couldn’t dispel the question that had planted itself in his mind from the moment he caught a glimpse of her piercing.

“Did- ah… Did it hurt? Your piercing, I mean.” Double D stuttered as he flicked the ash from his smoke. 

Marie scrunched up her nose in a thoughtful manner, taking a slow drag from her cigarette.

“Mm… no not really.” She exhaled. “I mean, my tongue piercing definitely hurt worse… They all sort of felt like a pinch.”

Double D glanced back to her as she stuck her tongue out to show off the metal bar poking through her flesh. The blue haired girl wiggled her tongue around and they both chuckled. She went on about the other piercings that adorned her face, before they new it they were stubbing out their smokes and tossing them off to the side. Edd made a mental note to pick them up later.

Instead of heading towards the door upon finishing their smoke session, Marie continued to lean against the house, working her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Hey, Edd?” The shorter teen murmured softly, bringing her gaze to meet his.

“Yes, Marie?” Her eyes worried on him for a moment before staring off into the shadowy back yard.

“Did you… Did you mean it? You know, when you said that I was pretty?”

Edd blinked in surprise a few times, and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck, toying with the hair that fell past his shoulders. Marie glanced back up at him expectantly.

“W-well, I-I was going to argue your reasoning, but then you dragged me inside, and your sister started that game…” He swallowed hard. “But to answer your question, yes. I happen to find you exceptionally attractive.”

Marie let out a tiny snort, shaking her head as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“I don’t know why. I never even told you that I was sorry for all the shit I did to you when we were kids.” leaving her spot on the wall, Marie closed the gap between them. Her small hand took hold of his larger one, and greeted him with her bright amber eyes once again.

“I really am sorry, Edd. Can you find it somewhere in you to forgive me?” Her soft breath ghosted across his lips. Neither one of them noticed how close their faces were now.

Double D closed the gap, pressing his lips to hers. He pulled back momentarily, but quickly pushed their mouths together with more fervor. Marie’s lips were incredibly soft, more so than he could have imagined, and he no longer had to wonder. The blue haired girl parted her mouth, allowing the tip of her tongue to dart out. Edd visibly shivered, and allowed his own lips to fall open, granting her permission to explore his mouth. She tasted like her smoke, and spearmint gum.

The two of them continued like that for a few moments, exploring each others mouths. When Marie pulled away from him, Edd had found that he had Marie pinned between the wall and himself. His hands had found their way under her shirt and held firm against the tight, smooth skin of her waist.

Marie hummed contentedly as she stroked the back of his neck and twirled his hair between her fingers. Her eyes flicked down for a split second, drawing both of their attention to the bulge in his jeans that was pressing against her.

“I guess that means you forgive me.” She laughed breathily and Edd blushed heavily. He opened his mouth to apologize but was met with a small peck on the cheek.

“How ‘bout we take this inside?” Marie brought a hand down to his, intertwining their fingers. She didn’t need Edd to give her vocal approval; he had already opened the glass door and was leading her across the kitchen.

In the living room the group was still caught up in their game of Truth or Dare. A large number of them had lost most of their clothes and were lounging in their underwear. In the middle of the circle Nazz had her mouth pressed to Sarah’s, and Ed had his eyes covered.

The couple slipped by the group unnoticed, and the cheers masked the sound their feet made as they bounded up the stairs.

Edd barely had the door to his room closed and locked before he was spun around and felt a familiar body pressing against his. Marie brought a hand up to caress the back of his neck again. She gave a small kiss to the side of his mouth and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

Her mouth, hot and wet against his neck, sent jolts of pleasure rushing to his spine. There was a sudden twinge of pain that hit as she bit down, but he found himself enjoying it more than he found it painful. The girl moved further down, just above his collarbone and bit down again, this time she sucked hard, coaxing a soft groan to spill from his lips.

When she pulled away to survey the damage she had done, a smug look crawled it's way across her features. The small girl had left a decent sized red-purple bruise just above his collarbone, but Edd didn’t seem to mind. It didn’t take him long before he leaned back into her, exposing his neck for more.

The couple stood in front of his bedroom door while Marie continued to decorate his neck with more bruises and even Edd had a go at adorning her pale skin with a couple of marks of his own.

There was a moment where she felt herself get a little out of control and found that she had bitten down hard enough to draw the smallest bit of blood from the taller teens skin. She felt Edd freeze from under her touch and for a second Marie thought that had ended whatever it was that was happening between them. Double D shocked her when his hands pulled her slender hips forcefully into his, grinding against her through their jeans. The two teenagers shared a shallow moan and Marie’s fingers began fumbling with the buckle of his belt.

Edd pushed her hands away from his belt as his own took over, he quickly had it undone and thrown to the floor in a matter of seconds. In the same moment, Marie had taken the liberty of pulling her shirt over her head, discarding the garment to the floor. The lanky teen had barely begun working the button of his jeans when he felt her hand wrap around his elbow, pulling him in the direction of his bed.

The young woman stopped when they reached the edge of the bed, only then realizing they grip she held on the other. The room was dark, the only source of light being the dull shine from the moon pouring through the open window.  
Slowly they peeled the clothes off each others bodies, tossing the articles haphazardly across the floor. When she pushed his naked body onto the mattress he caught a glimpse of her own that was bathed by the moonlight. She looked stunning, to say the least. Her already pale skin presented as a milky white before him, and her amber eyes almost seemed to glow in the contrast to the darkness of his room, he felt his cock twitch against his stomach.

The blue haired girl swung her legs over his hips and he could feel her heat against his groin, taunting him. He wasn’t prepared for the wet heat that began to glide over his length, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for how quickly he felt the familiar coil of warmth pooling in his lower abdomen.

When his hands found her hips, he had a difficult time bringing her to a shaky stop. He wanted so badly to continue with what they were doing, he wanted to see her face when she came, and he wanted -needed- to come. But he had to tell her before they picked up again, if she wanted to keep going.

“Marie… W-wait…” Edd panted, and his hips bucked in protest, sending a shock of pleasure through his groin as they both moaned.

“What’s goin’ on, Edd?” The young woman took notice of the worry in the others voice. Sitting up, she stared down at him with wide, bright eyes.

The taller teen wiped the nervous bit of perspiration that gathered on his forehead with the back of his hand, and his chest tightened with the familiar symptoms of anxiety.

“I-I… Well. Um.”

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” Edd felt his face grow warm as he nodded affirmatively, and he mustered the courage to look back up at her, fully expecting the woman to scoff at his virginal state. But when he found her face, she held a sweet smile before she pressed her lips to his chastely.

“Why don’t you let me fix that for you?”

Edd didn’t have the chance to answer, her hand curled around the base of his cock, stroking the length a few times before she lined his head up with her entrance. She gasped as she took him in slowly, her tiny hands searched for something to grip onto before finding his head, promptly knocking his hat off as her fingers twisted through his hair. He didn’t much like his hair being touched, but the action caused his hips to rut upwards greedily, causing her mouth to fall open in a silent groan.

The couple ground against each other clumsily, their shaky moans reciting the others name possibly louder than either probably meant to. And somehow they had switched positions, Marie underneath him, with her knees bent over his shoulders. Soon enough, a breath hitched in her throat before announcing that she was close. It was enough to push Edd over the edge, he thrusted into her three more times when he felt her clench around him, the sound of his name spilling from her lips. The coil in his lower stomach snapped and he felt himself spill inside of her as his orgasm enveloped him. The two of them rode their orgasms together, desperately clinging to each other in a tight embrace.

Edd fell to her side, and they laid on his bed for awhile, trying to calm their hammering hearts. Double D managed to catch a glimpse of the clock that read 3:55 am before his body let sleep take hold of him.


	4. Hangovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The thing about partying is that no matter how much fun you had the night before, you’re bound to wake up with a pounding headache and a mouth that tastes like garbage. At least that’s the way Edd felt when his eyes reluctantly fluttered open to the sound of the neighbors dog barking and the sunlight from the open window assaulting his face.

The gangly tean groaned and pulled the covers over his head. He wasn’t ready to deal with the day ahead of him, even though the young man was usually an early riser. Edd turned over to his side and the memories of what happened earlier that morning flooded through him, a soft blush crept across his cheeks and he sat up slowly. He was alone in his bed.

Feeling disappointed, he forced himself out of bed and fished around his drawers until he found underwear and a pair of holey jeans. He needed to do laundry, so he settled for an almost too small red shirt that was his favorite in middle school.

Edd definitely wasn’t looking forward to cleaning up after the ten other teenagers that most likely left his house in shambles after last nights rousing game of Truth or Dare and whatever else they spent the rest of the night doing. Double D padded down the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs as if to ready himself for whatever mess that was waiting for him in the other rooms. As he made his way down the steps he could hear Ed’s distinct snore and several others breathing below.

Nearly everybody from last night was still there, and still asleep. Some in uncomfortable looking positions and others just plain sprawled out on the floor. Ed had taken to his Father's recliner with May curled up in his lap. Eddy was in an upright position on the couch with his arm supporting his head, while a rather comfortable looking Lee used his lap as a pillow. Edd became aware of Nazz and Kevin’s absence but assumed that they had taken the upstairs guest room, the only room besides his own that was accessible.

Rolf was splayed out in the middle of the room, and where everyone had put their clothes back on, he had his shirt balled up in his fist and his pants hung halfway down his thighs. Edd peeked into the bathroom adjacent to the kitchen and found Jimmy passed out in front of the toilet and Sarah in the bathtub using a towel as a makeshift pillow.

There was still no Marie. The lanky teen frowned and nearly tripped over Jonny’s legs as he took survey of the room.

One thing he did notice was that the room was for the most part, clean. The coffee table and floors were free of beer cans and trash, shoes and miscellaneous belongings were neatly lined against the wall. Hell, it even smelled like it had been Febrezed in there.

Curiously, he headed over to the kitchen and found that the bottles of alcohol had been lined up neatly on the counter, the cans of beer sat in their respective boxes and had been placed by the refrigerator, bottles of soda and other non alcoholic drinks were either in the fridge or joined with the bottles of liquor. The trash had been taken out, tables and countertops were wiped down and the floor was even swept, and mopped.

Then, a small cloud of smoke drifted past the sliding glass door. Edd felt his heart give a kick and he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Marie was still here. Edd had to admit that he felt a bit giddy as he slid the door open and peeked his head out, finding an exhausted looking Marie Kanker sitting on his porch with a bottle of Dr. Pepper resting between her legs and a cigarette between her fingers. He recognized the clothes she was wearing were the pajamas that he usually wore to bed. The long plaid pajama pants and black t shirt hung off her small frame, drowning her in fabric. Her already normally messy hair stuck up in all directions, making her look ridiculous and more adorable than she already was.

“Soda? So early in the morning?” Double D grinned at his own teasing and the way she jumped when his voice caught her off guard. When she looked up at him, she smiled. It looked like she had taken time to wash her face clean of all her makeup and it occurred to him that she must wear a fair amount of concealer because the freckles he had admired from last night had multiplied. The caramel colored speckles lightly decorated her skin from her forehead, heavily concentrated across her cheeks and nose, and then lightened up again down her neck. He liked it when she didn’t wear any make up.

“Couldn’t figure out how to use that fancy coffee maker you have.” Marie mumbled sleepily, as she unscrewed the cap and took a huge swig from the bottle of soda. “Need my caffeine in the morning; otherwise I’m unbearable to be around…” The girl paused, taking his disheveled appearance in. “Nice hair, by the way.” She scoffed, taking several large gulps of the fizzy drink and managing to drain a quarter of the two liter bottle.

Edd’s hands flew to his head, trying to smooth the pieces of hair that stood in various directions. He made sure most of the locks on the top of his head covered the scar that was normally hidden by the hat he wore almost religiously. Hiding the scar was easier now that his hair had grown out; Mother always made sure his hair was trimmed and neat no matter how many times he protested.

The scar itself was fairly large, little more than half of an inch wide, beginning at the top right corner of his hairline, increasing in width before tapering down behind his right ear at a slight curve. As Edd grew his hair he felt more confident in leaving the house without his hat. Granted, he still wore it most of the time, but he wasn’t crippled with anxiety if he didn’t.

The scrawny boy blushed and took a seat next to the blue haired girl, bumping his shoulder against hers. “As if you’re one to talk.” Double D snorted, taking a piece of hair that had curled against her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. The affectionate gesture surprised both teens, the young man removed his hand and Marie refused to look at him for a few minutes even after she had finished her cigarette and the cherry burned itself out.

Marie took it upon herself to change the subject and break the silence. “So, I cleaned up for you. I figured it wasn’t fair for you to have a hangover and a disaster of a house to take care of on your birthday.” The young woman smiled sheepishly and lit another smoke, throwing the other a sidelong glance.

Edd blinked vacantly a few times, catching the girl’s eye once more before smiling warmly and averting his gaze. “I presumed that it was your doing, considering everybody else’s current state.” He paused, taking a moment to take in a breath of the cool morning air. “It was very kind of you, Marie. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not a big deal, really.” She took a puff on her cigarette, exhaling slowly. “I couldn’t sleep, anyway.” Double D was about to question her about her lack of sleep but something hinted in the tone of her voice told him to drop the subject. Instead he motioned to the half empty pack of cigarettes sitting in the space between them. “May I?”

The two teens found themselves sharing stories about their lives, but never diving into anything too serious. Edd semi-joking about his absent parents, Marie complaining about her overbearing Mother, and a mostly absent Father. Neither bothered to bring up the topic of what had happened last night.

Nor did they really get the chance, because the moment the words, “Edd, about last night…” came out of the blue haired girls mouth, the sliding glass door flew open. An exceptionally grumpy looking Eddy poked his head out, glaring down at his best friend and one of the Kanker girls he supposedly hated. The shortest of the Ed’s stepped out onto the patio, motioning wordlessly to the pack of cigarettes and holding his hand out. Marie raised an eyebrow and smirked amusedly at the other Ed’s unkempt appearance as she tossed him the package, and the lighter.

“Rough night?” The Kanker girl asked, holding a hint of laughter behind her voice. Eddy’s darkly circled eyes flicked down towards a smirking Marie and he brought his free hand up to rub his eyes. “Maybe, I don’t remember shit.” Eddy took a long, slow drag and glanced back over to the pair, his eyes settling on Double D and the dark purplish bruises that littered his neck. “Looks like Double D had a pretty bitchin’ time, though.” The pointed out the spot on his own neck, giving Edd a wide, mocking grin and even going so far as to cackle loudly as Edd’s hands clapped over his neck; his cheeks were burning a brilliant scarlet red. Marie rolled her eyes and adjusted Edd’s shirt so Eddy couldn’t see the marks he had left on her.

After Eddy was finished poking fun at his best friend he stubbed out his half smoked cigarette on the bottom of his shoe and shoved it into his shirt pocket. “Well, I’m ‘bout to start kickin’ people out. So decide where you wanna go to breakfast, Sock-head.”

Double D placed a hand over his heart. “Why, Eddy. I’m touched. You treating me to a birthday breakfast? How utterly selfless.” Marie snorted and flicked her smoke into the overgrown lawn. Eddy rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips as he pulled the door open. “Shut up, before I change my mind.”

 

\----

 

It only took Eddy a grand total of ten minutes to get the exhausted, hungover teens up and out of Double D’s house. As if the stout Ed’s voice wasn’t piercing enough, he had to add banging two pans together throughout the lower and upper level of his friends home, which thoroughly evacuated the groggy guests.

Most everyone had filtered out, leaving the Ed’s and the Kanker sisters standing off in the threshold. Eddy threw an uncharacteristically bashful glance in the oldest Kankers direction. “So… If y’all are hungry, I guess you can come with…” The short Ed scratched the back of his head and nervously toyed with his tapered hair, waiting for a response from the firey red-head in particular.

May nodded and giggled eagerly as she grabbed onto Ed and grinned up at him lovingly, Lee just smirked. “Yeah, why not?” She replied coolly, then she turned her attention to her younger sister. “Marie?”

Shit. Everyone was waiting on her now. The blue haired girl shifted her gaze between her sisters and the Ed’s, especially Double D, who seemed to be exceptionally hopeful that she’d accept the offer.

“I think I’m going to have to pass this time.” Double D’s face fell disappointedly.

“Aw, c’mon, Marie! You never hang out with us…” May cried out.

“You’re gonna burn yourself out workin’ so much, y’know.” Her eldest sister held a worried tone in her voice. She was probably right, much like their Mother, Lee seemed to possess the uncanny ability to be right most of the time.

Marie shook her head and sighed, she smiled up at her red headed sister. “I just promised that I would cover this shift, y’know?”

Lee was quiet, the sisters have had this argument too many times to count. Marie, as headstrong as she is, will do what she wants to do regardless of how other people feel about it. Whether that be working at the coffee shop or working on cars, the blue haired sister seemed to almost enjoy keeping herself torturously busy. She even fills the extra time in between by writing and playing music until she can’t keep her eyes open a moment longer.

“Just check in with Mom, okay? You know how she worries…” The eldest sister left it at that, not even trying to hide the undertone of her own worriment. “Don’t be too late, we’re havin’ movie night, remember?” Lee grinned as did the other two girls. May gave Marie a quick hug and whispered something in her ear that made the blue haired girl crack a smile. Then, with both Ed and Eddy in tow; the blonde and ginger sisters migrated their way outside, leaving Edd and Marie awkwardly standing in the open doorway.

Edd shyly brought his hand up to play with his hair, a nervous habit he developed when he wasn’t wearing his hat. He didn’t want her to go, maybe it was the hormones still raging through him from the night before or that he simply was just taken by her completely. He wasn’t even drunk and he was still admiring as much as he could of her. She took the time to change back into her own clothes, and Edd caught a glimpse of the elegant slope of her collarbone and the freckles that dotted her fair skin.

Their eyes met and they both opened their mouths to speak. Marie instantly offering him to go first.

“Are you sure you can’t make time for a little breakfast before work?” Double D smiled sweetly at the girl and she swore she saw a hint of a blush across his nose. “My treat.”

Marie was taken aback by the offer, was she crazy or was he making sound like he wanted to make it a date? At this point she couldn’t tell if he just gave her butterflies or if it was her stomach feeling hungover.

“Maybe I’ll take a raincheck on that date.” She flashed him one of her signature smirks before dashing out the door and crying out that she was gonna be late.

He watched her bound off towards her beast of a car, a 1978 jimmy high sierra. A vehicle the girl had slaved over for God knows how long trying to get it running, on top of all the extra things Marie put into it to make it all her own. Double D knew all about that part considering his own best friend, Ed, would never shut up about it. He’d rant about it jealously every time the blue haired girl would come to pick May up from his house or when she was spotted coming and going from school.

Marie hopped in, instantly bringing it to life and peeling out of the cul-de-sac, the bass of her music gradually fading as she drove away. Edd stared after her until a sudden honk from Ed’s truck pulled him back to reality.

 

\---

 

_Tell me pretty lies, look me in the face,_

_Tell me that you love me, even if it’s fake,_

_‘Cause I don’t fucking care, at all._

The song on her morning playlist blared through her speakers as she rolled down the street out of the cul-de-sac. Marie watched the houses in the rear view mirror disappear behind her as she make a sharp turn into the shopping district.

_‘Cause I have hella feelings for you,_

_I act like I don’t fucking care,_

_Like they aint even there._

The blue haired girl barely had her cigarette lit as she pulled into the employee parking lot in the back of the strip of buildings. She parked in her usual spot and quickly stripped into her uniform under the cover of her tinted windows.

_‘Cause I have hella feelings for you,_

_I act like I don’t fucking care,_

_‘Cause I’m so fucking scared._

The song triggered something in her and she couldn’t help the flood of memories from the night before. She hadn’t intended on going there… She had no intention of seeing him other than a passing glance or when she had to at school. Her sisters pressured her into giving up a shift and going to a party with them. She wasn’t aware it was a birthday party for Edd until they had pulled into the cul-de-sac and realized that the only house with lights on and loud teenagers was his home.

_I’m only a fool for you_

_And maybe you’re too good for me_

_I’m-_

Marie sighed and shut her radio off. _He is too good for you. Don’t corrupt a good guy like Edd._ The girl sat in silence and puffed on her smoke. She spent so much time trying to distance herself from him that having this happen was taking a toll on her sanity. _You made a mistake. He’s too good for you… Don’t drag him into this-_

A sharp rap on her window startled her and she whipped her head around to find the perpetrator. A pierced face with a wide grin waved at her through the dark tint. Marie inhaled sharply and slammed her finger down on the button to roll the window down.

“Hey, Ry.”

“How’s it goin’?” The dark haired young man took a deep, slow drag off of his own cigarette. Grey eyes darted down to the time on his phone. “You’re late, y’know.”

“I know.”

“Where’d you go?” I called you last night to cover…” The brunette trailed off, he had spotted the two purple marks peeking out from her uniform collar. A dark expression took over the man’s eyes as he scrutinized every other inch of visible skin she had. Marie shifted uncomfortably under his glare.

“Who was it, Marie?”

Marie glared back at him. “None of your damn business.” The blue haired girl rolled up the window and opened the door, throwing out her half smoked smoke and stomping it out on the ground.

“Answer the damn question.” The young man positioned himself between her and her car, leaning his arm against the vehicle, blocking her in. He lowered his gaze and stared at her icily.

Marie glowered back, and pushed past him, slamming the door and locking her car as she strode away.

“Marie!”

The girl stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around, her shoulders were shaking and her eyes were bubbling over with tears. “Fuck. You. Okay? You and I are over. We’ve been over, Ryan. For a long damn time. What I do outside of work is NONE of your business-”

“You make it my fucking business when you come to work all marked up like some-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll fucking quit.”

Ryan’s shoulders were shaking from his own anger, but he kept his mouth shut. Marie took several deep breaths and stepped back from the brunette, tears still spilling down her cheeks.

“I’ve had enough. If you do this again, I’m gone. Got it?”

The man crossed his arms and sighed in defeat. His features softened and he muttered out, “Fine.” as he grazed past her towards the store.

Marie got back in her car, and smoked two cigarettes before she decided to head into work. Her stomach grumbled lowly and she wished so badly that she had just gone to breakfast.


	5. By Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Chance. Stupid, dumb, blind chance. Just a part of the strange mechanism of the world, with its fits and coughs and starts and random collisions.”  
> ― Lauren Oliver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to apologize about the month long period between chapters, life just happens y'know?

It was Friday, September 23rd, the weekend before the Ed’s senior year at Peach Creek High School. The year they’ve been waiting for since elementary school, the year they were going to make theirs; or so Eddy says.

However, Double D had other things on his mind. Such as the seemingly endless studying and preparation for his advanced placement classes; and a pretty, blue haired girl he’s been thinking about almost every day since the last he saw of her. He went on to find her on Facebook, sending her a request and checking every other day or so to see if it was accepted, to no avail.

The only thing left to look forward to besides school was this weekend’s Senior camp out the student council organized to celebrate the end of summer. Eddy was particularly excited, and had not stopped talking about it for weeks. For that reason, Double D wasn’t all too surprised when his blaring ringtone startled him awake at almost 8 am. He quickly answered, mumbling a “Not time yet.” and hung up, promptly falling back asleep.

It was a little after noon when Edd was suddenly woken again. This time by a barrage of knocks on his front door from both Ed and Eddy. The gangly teen hauled himself out of bed, he was exhausted. He had been up most of the night preparing for the first week of school, after all he had to work hard if he wanted to be Ivy League material. Deep down he knew it was just to please his parents. Double D always had dreams of traveling to foreign countries, studying insects and plant life, the things he loved most in life. His Father would be easy enough to convince, his Mother on the other hand has high hopes for Columbia University or any other pretentious school out there.

Double D sleepily stumbled down the stairs and slowly opened the door that was previously being pummeled. His best friends stood side by side, eagerly waiting for their brainy friend.

“Are you ready?” The shortest Ed gleamed up at Double D with the excitement of a kid on Christmas.

“Do I look ready to you, Eddy?” The gangly teen grumbled, he was still in his pajamas. Hell, he was barely awake, let alone ready for the day.

“What crawled up your ass?” Eddy questioned. It wasn’t like Double D to be so ornery in the morning. Typically he was the kind to annoy others with his chipper, morning person aura.

“I was up preparing for my A.P classes.” A curt reply as Edd rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning and leaning against the door frame. The lanky teen nearly fell asleep where he stood when Ed took it upon himself to embrace Double D in one of his signature bear hugs.

“CAMPING!” The biggest Ed hollered in his friends face, effectively jolting the other awake.

“Yeah! Forget all that fancy, overachiever shit!” Eddy threw himself into the hug as well and was gleaming at his scrawny friend. “C’mon Sockhead, we still got a lot of stuff to do!” Double D sighed and gave his friends a defeated, yet admiring smile.

“Very well.”

\---

It was a several hours later when the boys were nearly ready to head out. It didn’t take them long to get their gear and supplies packed and ready to go in Ed’s truck, despite Double D’s protests and offers to take his car.

Ed’s truck was old. A 1989 Ford Ranger that his parents bought for him at a more than reasonable price. The old rusty vehicle had been sitting in his aunts driveway for a good part of a decade, rendering it useless until Ed and his Father got their hands on it. For months the two men worked on it slowly, until they got it in mostly working order. It still had problems, but Ed loved his rust bucket, arguably more than monster movies or drawing. The question was whether or not it could make it up Creek Canyon, which was significantly steeper than his truck was used to handling.

Speaking of monster movies, that was the exact reason why the trio didn’t head out right then and there. The ginger haired Ed checked the time on his phone and put everything to a halt until they watched the back to back feature of his favorite B grade movie and it’s sequel. Much to Eddy’s dismay and in Double D’s favor as he dozed off around the fifteen minute mark during the first movie. He woke as the credits were rolling for the second and he stretched out the knots that developed from the awkward position he fell asleep in.

It was almost 6:30, and Edd was certain their classmates were heading up about now. The bunch hopped into Ed’s truck and began their journey. The vehicle did fine on the highway as it usually does, and they made it a quarter of the way up the canyon without a hitch. That is, until a high pitched squealing noise caught their attention. Ed let off the gas in hopes to ease the strain on his old car, but it was too late. A thick white smoke began to billow out from underneath the hood and the engine sputtered loudly. He quickly pulled off to the side of the mountain, narrowly missing a mini van with a canoe strapped to the roof.

Ed yanked the emergency break and hopped out of the driver’s seat. The red head began to pry open the hood but let it slam shut when the heat from the smoke burned his hands.

He wandered back to the drivers side and plopped down in the seat. “I don’t know what to do, Double D…” Ed mumbled defeatedly.

Eddy sat in shock for a moment, he wasn’t about to let a minor set back stop him from making it to this camping trip. “Well, you got tools in the back, don’tcha Ed?”

Both Ed and Double D gave each other a concerned look before turning back to Eddy.

“Well…” The ginger began, shooting Double D a desperate glance.

“You see, Eddy, we had to make room for the camping gear, so-” Double D nervously tried to explain before he was interrupted.

“Sooo…”

“Sooo… the tools are sitting in my garage as we speak, Eddy.” The gangly Ed braced himself for the imminent freak out his stout friend was notorious for.

Eddy’s face fell, and then turned a shade of red that only means he’s about to lose his temper; but instead, he burst out in a fit of worry.

“WE’RE GONNA DIE.”

That was all it took to send Ed into a fit as well. Double D remained calm, even with his two friends hollering about how they were going to be stuck on a mountain forever and all the various ways they could die. Edd couldn’t hold a thought over the commotion long enough to figure a plan on what to do.

“ENOUGH!” The lanky Ed yelled over the two, instantly silencing them. “Just let me think…”

It was only moments later when the light bulb went off in his head. “Ed, may I have May’s number?”

“Why?” Despite Double D being his best friend, Ed still didn’t take kindly to any man asking for May’s number.

“I need Marie’s number, Ed. She’s the one who knows everything about cars. Perhaps she can lend her assistance?” Double D paused. “The only other option is a tow truck, by the time we get home and switch vehicles it might be too dark to find the campground…” he trailed off, his ginger friend was already pulling up his girlfriend’s number and holding it out for him to read. A goofy grin replaced the panic that was once there.

“Excellent.” Edd jot the number down in his phone and was ready to dial when he realized he didn’t have a signal. He sighed and pulled on the black and red hoodie he had brought with him. “I’m going to walk down and find a signal. Ed, I think it’s safe to open the hood now.” The lanky teen hopped out of the truck, shivering against the gust of cool mountain air that hit him.

Edd had to walk a little over half a mile before he got the slightest signal, the bars were steadily growing the further he trekked. He had to be quick though, the sun was getting close to setting and his phone was rapidly losing battery life. He dialed the blonde Kanker sisters number. It rang twice before she answered, a T.V. was blaring in the background so loudly that he almost missed it when she spoke.

“‘Ello?”

“May? It’s Double D.” A gust of wind felt like it blew right through him and he shivered against the cold.

“Oh, hey! Watcha need?” He could hear her better now, he was far enough down the mountain that he had a clear connection and it helped that whatever was going on on May’s end had stopped.

“Just some minor car trouble, I was wondering if you could help by passing along Marie’s number, if possible…”

“Sure! I think she’s at work but you should still try!” The blonde exclaimed, she sent him a text and he instantly received it. “Good luck, Double D, sorry ‘bout your car trouble.”

“It's quite alright, I appreciate your assistance.” They wrapped up with a quick goodbye, and Edd went to dial her number. The lanky teen hesitated on the call button and his heart gave a leap. He was hoping she would answer, but now for more selfish reasons.

Edd tapped to call and quickly put the phone to his ear. It rang all the way through to voicemail. Damn. He didn’t have much time before his battery was going to die, he just hoped waiting it out for a few minutes would help his chances.

The boy waited five more minutes before trying again. It rang three times before a familiar female voice responded.

“Hellooo?”

\---

It was Friday, an ordinary day in Marie’s eyes, regardless of school starting Monday or not. She was just getting off work after a twelve and a half hour shift, her feet were killing her, she was starving and she still had a customer trying to talk to her as she was counting her drawer.

The blue haired girl nodded unenthusiastically to the middle aged man’s ramblings, he had his damn coffee so why couldn’t he see that she was busy and get the hint to leave her the hell alone?

Her phone rang loudly, and she silently cursed whoever was calling, she was going to have to count all over again. The man took it as a sign to leave and he hastily made his escape. Marie stared at the number, it wasn’t one she recognized. She picked up her phone and just as she was about to answer, it stopped. The girl shrugged and started over on counting out her till for the night.

When she finished up, she gave her coworker a wave goodbye and headed out the door. She lit a cigarette on the way to her car and as soon as she took the first drag, her phone rang again. It was the same number from before.

Marie didn’t hesitate, she tapped the green button on her phone. “Hellooo…?"

“Hello? Marie?” A breathless voice responded back. She didn’t recognize the young man’s voice immediately but obviously they knew her.

“Who’s this?”

“Um… It’s Edd.” The voice on the other end said nervously. Marie’s heart fluttered for a moment, his voice sounded deeper over the phone.

“Uh, what’s up, dude? How’d you get my number?” The wind blew hard on the other end and she even heard his phone drop and him audibly cuss. Possibly the first time anybody has heard the normally goody two shoes boy swear.

“Shit. I-I got it from May.” The young man stuttered. “I’m in a bit of a predicament.”

It took several minutes for him to explain their unfortunate situation. At first, Marie laughed, but then she realized how screwed they could really be. It was getting to be dark out. There was no way they’d be able to find their way up the mountain if they waited for a tow. At first she was apprehensive, but when Edd nearly begged her to help them, she melted like butter.

“Sure. I’m on my way.”

“Oh, thank heavens.” Marie just smirked.

\---

It didn’t take her very long to get up to where they were parked. Traffic had cleared up quite a bit and it was hard to miss the big black truck three teenage boys gathered around it, staring cluelessly at the still smoking cab.

Marie flipped her hazards on and pulled off behind them. The three boys stared at her like their savior. Double D immediately bound up next to her car. She rolled the window down and could visibly see how cold he was. His ears, cheeks and nose were flushed pink in comparison to his pale skin. Yet, somehow he still looked different. He wasn’t wearing his normal get up. Double D almost never wore hoodies, at least she had never seen him wear one. Or black jeans for that matter.

He had a bit of dark stubble that covered his chin and some barely coming in above his upper lip. Whatever it was, she just wished the butterflies in her stomach would calm themselves.

The boy was nearly leaning inside of her car, sighing in relief to the warm air blowing through her vents. His green eyes flicked up and met hers, a split second of eye contact before she averted her gaze to her pack of smokes. The blue haired girl pulled one out, quickly lighting it and taking one more peek at him through the smoke. _Damn it, why does he have to be so cute?_

Double D looked over the lit cigarette in her hand and he couldn’t help but ask for some. The situation too stressful for him to resist. He took a couple drags before handing it back to her and waving the girl to follow him.

Marie hopped out of her car and followed Ed to the truck. The two other Ed’s were staring blankly at the mess of metal and rubber. She wiggled in between them, putting one foot on the front bumper and hauling herself up to look directly inside.

The girl hummed to herself quietly as she began looking through the mess. She took off a cap here and a cap there to check all the fluids. She shook her head as she checked the oil amongst other things. At one point she was completely bent over, giving Double D a full view of her shapely behind. He wasn’t even looking until Eddy nudged him and made an hourglass shape with his hands.

Edd blushed deeply and the girl jumped down from the truck. “Well…”

“Well…” Eddy impatiently retorted.

Marie shot him a disdainful look before continuing. “Radiators shot. And you have a hole in your coolant tank, and you needed an oil change, like, months ago.” The girl went on and on about all the things wrong with Ed’s truck until Ed was red in the face with embarrassment.

“I would fix it right now, but I don’t have the parts with me, and my Uncle’s shop is closed until Monday…” The blue haired girl pulled out another cigarette, letting it dangle from her lips. “I can give you a lift to where you wanna go, but your truck is SOL at the moment.”

“SO...L?” The largest Ed scratched his head in confusion.

“Shit. Outta. Luck.” Marie lit her smoke and dramatically let the hood of the truck slam shut, Double D snickered.

Between the four of them they quickly had their gear reloaded in the girls car and were off once again. They made it the rest of they way through the canyon and the vehicle handled the windy dirt roads like a champion, as did Marie. Even when the road became precariously narrow and steep, and the daunting drop off the cliff side loomed beneath them, the girl barely batted an eyelash.

The sky was a deep azure with just a strip of light left on the horizon when the group pulled up. The small campground was lined with the cars of kids from their class; the faint dancing light of the fire played beyond the trees and the distant chatter of teenagers echoed through the area. Marie cautiously parked at the end of the row of cars and flipped off her headlights.

“Do you need help with your stuff?” The blue haired girl turned to look at Ed and Eddy in the backseat and gave a small glance to Double D. Both teens denied the offer and quickly thanked her before hopping out and proceeding to unload their gear. Here they were again. Together. Alone. And awkward. Marie could feel her heartbeat in her ears, remembering the last time she saw him and how successful she had been at distancing herself from him up until this moment.

Double D sat there, eyeing everything in her car before he got to her, and her eyes. They appeared brown in the low light, their normal luminosity dulled by nightfall. It was then when she looked away, taking a second to glance at her phone before she realized there was no chance of a signal. Edd sighed, he tore his attention from the girl and watched his peers from beyond the trees. He didn’t know what to say, she was right there but she seemed so far away, her mind was definitely elsewhere and it showed as she stared blankly past her tinted windows.

“Are you alright?” The boy said suddenly, ripping her attention back to him. She eyed him carefully in the dim light coming only from her radio.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” She replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“No particular reason…” Edd hesitated. “I...I just wanted to thank you for your assistance…” He bit the inside of his cheek, he still had a hard time talking to girls, particularly ones he really liked. “Really, thank you.”

“It’s no big deal, dude.” Marie cracked a smile. “But, you’re welcome.” She laid her head against the headrest, her car was still purring idly. The pair sat in silence until the distant sounds of Eddy cursing and metal on metal crashing against the ground; Ed’s loud guffaw trailing close behind.

It was pitch black outside; the last bit of light they caught on the way up there had now vanished. The only light came from the nearly full moon above and the fire from beyond the trees. Edd glanced over at the girl once more, catching her in a deep yawn.

“Marie?”

“Edd.” The blue haired girl plainly said, letting another yawn engulf her.

“You’re not going to try to make it back down to town, are you?” Double D held worry in his voice, but the stubborn girl wasn’t going to budge easily.

“I’ll be fine, promise.” Marie held out a pinky for the other to take. Edd furrowed his eyebrows and folded his arms.

“Why don’t you join us? We’re in the same class, after all…” The lanky teen paused. “It should be fun.” A small smile crept across his features, he was trying to convince her to stay, not only because he was dying to spend a little time with her but also holding concern for her safety. “Besides, anything could happen to you on the way down, and I couldn’t bare knowing I was partially to blame…” Their eyes met once more and Edd felt heat pool in his cheeks, she was actually looking at him for the first time that night. He couldn’t make out what she was feeling, a playful smile held to her lips, but her eyes seemed somber.

“I didn’t really want to come to this thing, anyway…” The girl bit her lip, her eyes flicking to the floor and then back to him. “I just… Don’t feel welcome, y’know?”

Edd’s brow furrowed once more, it wasn’t like Marie was a complete outcast. To be fair, she was well liked compared to how others felt about her normal group of friends. “I don’t follow.”

Marie sighed, it was hard to explain. Anywhere she went she always felt like people looked at her differently, particularly at school. Maybe it was her Mother’s and Lee’s lengthy track record or maybe it was her own, but there was always a sense of judgement she couldn’t shake. Not only that, but she had a hard enough time keeping Edd at arms length, spending another night with him might completely break that; and she wasn’t about to drag him down into the drama she calls her life.

“It’s really complicated, Edd… It’s something I don’t want to get into.” The blue haired girl nearly whispered and reverted back to staring into the darkness outside. Double D contemplated arguing further, but decided to drop it. He wasn’t going to make her talk if she didn’t want to. The pair sat in silence for a moment before a low grumble filled the small space they shared.

Marie cringed in reaction to her ravenous belly. She folded herself forward, clutching her stomach and resting her head on the steering wheel. “Fuck, I’m starving.”

Edd just smirked. Now was his chance. “Well, you can use that raincheck for dinner instead.”

At first, the girl gawked at the brunette confusedly, suddenly remembering the month before when she promised a ‘next time’ to the boy. And for the first time, she stuttered over her own words. “I-I really should just head home.”

“Why don’t you let me make you something to eat, allow yourself to relax and hang out, and if you still want to leave, I won’t keep you…” A genuine suggestion from the young man, despite his feelings towards her. “How else can I repay you for helping us out?”

Marie mulled the idea over in her head, it didn’t seem like a bad one at all. She was obviously starving from her scarce breakfast and caffeine fueled lunch, aside from not having a break to just relax. Besides, having somebody else make food for her was a godsend in and of itself. The girl sighed, shooting the other a lopsided smile before surrendering to his persuasive ways. “Sure, why not?”

As the two teens mozied their way to the campground with the rest of Double D’s gear she swore she caught a couple groups of kids stop and whisper amongst themselves about her. Maybe she was just being paranoid but nonetheless she chose to ignore the mumbling as she passed and opted for helping Edd pitch his tent in the spot next to Ed and Eddy’s. It didn’t take them long and before she knew it, she was sitting on a log used as a makeshift bench in front of a crackling fire.

Somehow Marie ended up between Edd and Nazz, with Kevin and Rolf by her side. At least she was stuck with people that didn’t seem to have a problem with her, though Nazz did seem to be peeking over at her throughout hers and Kevin’s conversation. It was about the fourth time she did it when the blonde finally spoke.

“Do you smoke?” The blonde held a playful grin on her lips, patiently waiting for the blue haired girl’s response.

Marie blinked in surprise from the off handed question, but recovered with a quick retort. “Smoke what?” A mischievous smile crossing her own features.

Nazz giggled, leaning in close enough for her whisper to be heard. “Weed, silly.”

“Does a bear shit in the woods?”

Both girls shared a short laugh before Nazz gestured for them to wander off behind the tents. Marie gave a fleetling nod, then turned to Edd. “Hey, I’m gonna smoke, I’ll be right back.”

Edd pulled his attention away from rummaging around in the cooler he brought, flashing her a smile. “Your dinner will be ready when you return.” Somehow Marie was able to repress the urge to kiss him right then and there; it was rare that she didn’t make her own food. Her Mother usually worked late, and to be fair, cooking wasn’t exactly her forte. Neither was it Lee’s, as long as she can remember she’s taken the reigns as far as meal time goes, with May by her side helping out where she could.

Unexpected cool fingers wrapped themselves around the Kanker sisters wrist and tugged her in the direction of the tents. Nazz gave the boys a short wave, leaving them staring after the two girls confusedly. Neither the blonde or Marie ever showed interest in talking to each other. Let alone spontaneously smoking a joint together like they’ve always been besties.

Nazz and Marie sauntered over to a small dome like tent, the blonde disappeared inside and began to rummage through the overfilled backpack she had brought with her. The blue haired Kanker sister lit up a cigarette waiting for the other, kicking the dirt around with her worn and torn work shoes. She was beginning to think that she needed new ones when the blonde emerged.

In her hands she carried an aluminium box, a touch smaller than a tissue container. It was covered in stickers and decals from bands to the ones you find in gumball machines. Nazz beamed and lead the other away from the field of tents. The pair came to the edge of the forest, slipping through a small entrance between the trees. A flat boulder nestled perfectly out of sight from their peers almost looked like it was waiting for them.

“Rad!” Nazz exclaimed, taking a seat on the weather worn rock. Marie plopped down next to her, taking a deep slow drag from her cigarette. She could hear a small stream trickling nearby, and the rustling of leaves as a gust of cool mountain air shook the forest. There was just enough light from the moon pouring through the canopy for them to be able to see what they were doing.

A flick of a lighter made Marie glance in her direction. Nazz had a near perfectly rolled joint pressed between her lips. The cherry burned bright against the darkness, illuminating her face with a glowing orange light. The blonde stifled a cough before passing it to Marie.

The blue haired girl gracefully slipped it between her fingers and took a slow drag. It had been awhile since she smoked and she forgot how much she missed it. Almost instantaneously her head went fuzzy, a relaxing euphoria washed over her body, making her mentally dismiss the days frustrations. One more hit, and she was on cloud nine. She passed it back, giving Nazz the once over. She was still puzzled as to why one of the more ‘popular’ girls in her class had taken such a sudden interest in her.

“You’re not gonna kill me, then ditch me in the woods, are you?” Marie broke the silence, the outlandish question caused the blonde to stare blankly in response before erupting into a fit of giggles.

“Man, you’re funny. I don’t think I could kill you even if I tried.” Nazz wiped a tear from the corner of her eye but quickly returned to her half burned joint.

“I mean, not to be rude, but why are you trying to be all buddy-buddy with me?” The blonde eyed her through drooping lids, a hurt expression replacing the smile that was there only moments before.

“Just thought it wouldn’t hurt to be friends, for once.” The blonde looked sheepish, a rare occurrence for her, Marie was sure. But she didn’t press any further, only taking the last couple hits from their now finished session and stomping it out in the dirt. “I don’t really have girl friends.” Nazz continued; “And we’ve known each other for years now… so why not?” I guess it’s a good enough reason as any. Marie thought; she was in the same boat herself. The only friends she had that were girls were her sisters and her best friend, Tess. A girl she met in the eighth grade, and soon came to realize that she lived in the same newly developed trailer park as her and her family.

“Fair enough.” The blue haired girl responded, the corner of her mouth twisting into a half smile. “I don’t have many friends. Period.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small cigarette box and taking one out. Marie shook the pack in Nazz’s direction, to which the blonde gratefully took one.

“What about those people you’re always with? Tess, Al, Ezra, those creepy twins, and what’s that other guy’s name? _Ryan_ or something?” The blonde listed off those familiar names, her stomach clenching in response to the last name mentioned. He was like a pest she couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard she tried. “Didn’t _you_ date him?”

Marie nearly choked as she took a drag of her cigarette. Of course she would bring that up, their relationship wasn’t exactly private, thanks to him. “ _That_ was a long time ago.” She said blankly, it wasn’t a part of her life she liked to look back on or remember, and to see that people are _still_ talking about it made Marie’s blood boil.

“What happened?” The blonde prodded, she knew that Nazz was only as curious as the kids in their class probably were, and if she was wanting to be her friend she guessed it was as good of a test as any.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to keep your mouth shut. Don’t tell your boyfriend, your parents, nobody.” The blue haired girl held out her pinky for the other to take. As childish as it was, something about Nazz told her she would take it seriously. Even in the dark she could see the blonde’s big, blue eyes light up as she instantly intertwined their pinkies together. “Promise.”

“Good.” The Kanker sister smiled and took a slow drag from her smoke, and exhaled through her nose. “I’ll just keep it short; he led me down a path of bad decisions, granted I made the choices I made…” She paused to take a quick puff. “ I hurt people, I broke into houses and stole shit, I sold and did drugs…” Marie hesitated, she was almost regretting telling her all of this even though they were alone. She didn’t want it to get out, especially to Edd. The look Nazz was giving her was making her nervous, she averted her eyes guiltily. “I… I did it for him. Because I thought he loved me or something.” A pang in her chest stopped her from going on, she didn’t like talking about it. Damn it she hated talking about it, but to be fair this was the first time she’s opened up to someone aside from her family. It hurt, still, after all this time.

Marie lit another cigarette with the still burning cherry of her previous smoke. She stomped that one out and willed herself to finish her story, without much detail. “I ended up getting busted, and spent most of my junior year at Lemon Brook Juvenile Correctional Facility.” She said the last words like a curse. “I took the fall for everything, and he still haunts me by being my boss.” Marie rolled her eyes and shivered when the cold breeze hit her shoulders.

She looked over at the blonde, who was now gawking at her with her brows furrowed and a look she couldn’t pinpoint. “When I came back to school, nobody would look at me. The Kanker sister flicked her ash and shifted her weight on the boulder they shared. “So, I mind my own business. He’ll only be my ‘boss’ until the end of the school year, and then it’s bye bye Peach Creek; Hello, New York City.”

“What’s in New York?” Nazz questioned, the girl was fully immersed in her story, so much so that the girl hadn’t bothered to light her cigarette until just then.

“Manhattan School of Music, that’s what.” A genuine smile took over the girls features. It was truly amazing how just mentioning music was like flipping a switch on her mood. “ I know all the extra work I’m putting in is gonna be worth it…” Marie pulled her knees up to her chest, cradling them close to her body and taking comfort in the changed position. “I don’t wanna be a nobody that never leaves Peach Creek, like Lee and my mom…”

The blonde sucked on the end of her cigarette, blowing the smoke out thoughtfully. “I bet you’ll make it. You have an _amazing_ voice, I’m jealous.” They way Nazz said _amazing_ gave her goosebumps. It wasn’t often she got compliments on her singing; granted there was only a handful of times she’s sang in front of others, she definitely preferred playing her guitar. It gave her hope that maybe she really could make it.

“Thanks dude, it means a lot.” A smile tugged at the corners of the blue haired girl’s mouth, and when she looked over at Nazz she was grinning ear to ear.

“Soo… What about you and _Double D_?”

“What _about_ me and Double D?” The Kanker sister stared at her through half lidded eyes.

“Y’know.” The blonde puffed on her smoke, leaving Marie waiting impatiently for an explanation. “How you look at each other and stuff.” Nazz was still beaming, and Marie felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment.

The blue haired girl shook her head in denial, there were a lot of things she was willing to admit in confidence to her new found friend, but her repressed feelings for one of the Ed’s was not one of them.

“There’s nothing going on. I just gave them a ride up here ‘cause their truck broke down.” Marie stood up then, she had enough talk of Edd. “C’mon, let’s go back.”

“But-”

“Please.” Marie whipped back around, eyeing the other in the low light. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

A hint of hurt crossed the blonde’s features but she didn’t press any further. She slowly stood up from her seat on the boulder, and began leading the way through the path between the trees.

When they returned, the girls received several analyzing looks from their classmates, particularly curious ones from their male friends. They sat down in their chosen spots from before, Nazz regrouping herself with Kevin, Rolf and a few people Marie couldn’t put names to.

The girl hadn’t realized how cold she was until she took her place in front of the fire. SHe stretched her arms out, pointing her fingers towards the heat and shivering with relief. As long as she could remember she always had the hardest time warming up after being cold. Marie closed her eyes, relishing in the hotness of the flames against her skin. Suddenly, a weight rested itself on her shoulders and her eyes popped open, searching for the culprit. It was Edd. He had taken the hoodie he was once wearing and placed it over her.

Double D visibly flushed red at being caught, but smiled, flashing the unique gap between his teeth before covering it quickly with his hand. “I-I’m sorry…” He stuttered. “You looked like you were freezing.” Marie wasn’t doing a good job at proving her point to Nazz earlier, her own cheeks burned as she gratefully pulled the jacket over her head and torso. The girl pushed the hair from her face back to it’s desired place, and when she could finally see, there was Edd holding out a plate of food for her to take.

Marie gaped in adoration, it was the typical, albeit delicious looking camping meal. A fire roasted hot dog, covered in ketchup and mustard, baked beans, and pasta salad and potato salad that was more than likely store bought. The girl took the plate from Edd and it took everything in her power not to completely inhale everything right then and there.

She thanked him and dug right in. It was only five minutes later when she finished, the girl was so hungry that there wasn’t a morsel left on the plate. Marie sighed with satisfaction, tossing the paper ware into the fire amongst the rest of its kind. Now with a full belly and warmed by the fire, the blue haired girl was just feeling how truly exhausted she was. A heavy yawn wracked her body, bringing tears to her eyes and smudging the dark makeup she had so carefully placed earlier that day.

“Did you enjoy your dinner?” The scrawny teen had pulled himself away from whatever he and the other Ed’s were talking about. Eddy raised an eyebrow at his friends shift in attention, and rolled his eyes when he realised he had been cut off for a Kanker.

“It was great, thanks Edd.” Marie thanked the other teen, giving him one of her adorable half smiles and succeeding in making him blush yet again.

About an hour passed with what seemed like a blink of an eye. The two teens lost themselves in conversation until the fire almost burned out to shimmering embers. The light of the moon drowned the campground in an eerie glow, and while most of their other classmates turned in for the night, the cul-de-sac teenagers stayed.

Rolf was the first to encapture the small group before him with horrifying takes of the ‘old country’, in which he grew up. The flashlight he held underneath his chin accentuated the slopes and shadows of his face, and the wild look in his eye left an unsettling feeling in the pits of their stomachs. It was when he went off on an already overkilled story when Eddy chimed in.

“Oh, c’mon! We’ve heard this one a million times, Rolf.” The shortest Ed crossed his arms and yawned, inciting the foreign boy to shove the flashlight into Eddy’s unexpecting arms.

“I bestow upon you the torch of storytelling, no-neck Ed Boy. Please confess to us your tales of horror.” Rolf said almost sarcastically.

Eddy grasped the flashlight almost too tightly, he wasn’t one to back down easily. “I got tons of spooky stories, Stretch.”

“This should be good.” Marie mumbled under her breath loud enough to provoke giggles from both Double D and Nazz on either side of her.

“Have you ever heard of the _Goatman_?”

It wasn’t long before the remaining kids were fully immersed in Eddy’s storytelling. Being underestimated only fueled his gory tale of the unidentified entity that feasted on human flesh and souls. He had Ed nervously chewing on his fingernails and Nazz and Rolf on the edge of their seats, while Marie and Edd seemed to be slowly drifting together.

A rustle in the bushes made the boy falter in his words. He glanced around towards the sound, stuttering as he continued until a deep growl from beyond the trees silenced them. The others had heard it too; another inhuman snarl echoed from the forest, nearly causing an uproar of panic among the group of teenagers.

Marie didn’t have a chance to react rationally when a pair of arms shot out from the bushes, latching on to the shortest Ed and yanking him towards the woods. She immediately grasped onto Edd, shrieking out as she watched him disappear into the bush. The screams and cries of the kids reverberated and shook the whole campsite, waking their sleeping classmates and causing them to wander out of their tents to check out the commotion.

As quickly as the attack came, so did the hysterical laughter. Kevin and one of his baseball buddies had pulled one over on all of them. Almost simultaneously, both Edd and Marie pulled away from each other. Both blushing deeply in the process. Luckily the attention was on Eddy and Kevin; who was now getting chewed out by his blonde girlfriend for scaring her and waking everybody else up.

Things calmed down significantly after that, the remaining kids deciding to call it a night until there were two. Double D and Marie hadn’t left their spots on the bench, just sitting in comfortable silence. The blue haired girl yawned, letting a tear roll down her cheek, not even bothering to wipe it away, knowing full well it left a streak of gray on her face.

Edd was sleepy as well, but he couldn’t head off to bed not knowing what the girl’s plan was. “Have you decided yet?”

“Huh?” Marie’s half lidded eyes met his own that were drooping with exhaustion.

“On staying the night or heading home?” The brunette reminded her, letting one of his own yawns wrack his body.

“Oh… I think I’ma sleep in my car…” The girl yawned again and stretched her arms over her head. She knew if she just got a few hours of sleep she could be rested enough to drive back down to town.

“I brought extra blankets…” Edd blurt out, promptly reddening at his sudden request. “I m-mean you don’t have to, I just thought to offer…”

As much as Marie had tried to deny most of Double D’s proposals, she was too tired to pass up a warm blanket and a less cramped sleeping situation. All she could do was nod in acceptance and follow the teen to his tent.

Edd unzipped the door and allowed her to crawl in first. He tossed his sleeping bag in her direction and a cushy pillow to accompany it. The teen rolled out a camping pad for himself and wrapped himself in a large, thick blanket. The girl almost protested to him giving her his only pillow and sleeping bag until she realized he had already laid down and was on the verge of passing out.

Marie settled herself into the sleeping bag, zipping it up and resting her head on the plush pillow. Everything smelled like him. Clean, yet musky, something that was so uniquely Edd that she couldn’t put a name to it. She yawned once more, the light snore next to her lulled her right to sleep.


	6. Not So Burned Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning For Violence, sexual abuse, etc
> 
>  
> 
> If it bothers you I would recommend not reading
> 
> \---  
> It took me two months... I'm so sorry :C

_ Snap! _ Marie’s eyes flew wide open. A sharp crack of a branch startled the girl awake. She sat up slowly, her eyelids were still heavy with sleep and a deep yawn shook her whole body. She would have loved to slip back into her peaceful slumber if it wasn’t for her lanky friends absence. The place where Edd once occupied was now empty, the rumpled blanket and strewn camping pad lay in a heap against the side of the tent. Something didn’t feel right.

 

Edd wasn’t the type to leave things a mess, he always took his time making sure his personal spaces were immaculate, camping or not. Then, as if it were a sign, there peeking out from under the blanket was his hat. Marie snatched it up, worrying the stitching between her fingers. He would  _ never _ purposely leave his hat behind anywhere. 

 

The blue haired girl felt panic bubbling in her chest as she jumped out of the sleeping bag. She unzipped the tent and tumbled into the crisp mountain air. It was still dark out, seemingly darker than it was before they went to bed. Marie noticed that the moon had disappeared and she stars seemed much dimmer and further away when a low mumbling caught her attention. 

 

She could hear… something. A quiet murmur in the distance, coming from the forest in the area where she had smoked with Nazz earlier that night. Marie didn’t bother to slip on her shoes before she took off on foot towards the commotion. The girl ran through the field of tents, and the sound grew in clarity as she sprinted. It sounded like… chanting? She still couldn’t make out what was being said, but she finally came to the edge of the forest. A disembodied, dim light was snaking through the leaves, illuminating the area in a bizzare glow that made her stomach clench.

 

_ Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! FIGHT! _

 

Marie’s heart gave a leap, the nervous perspiration gathered on her forehead as she inched towards the gap between the trees. The chanting amplified the closer she got, her hand tightened around Edd’s hat.

 

_ FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! _

 

Her hands shook as she peeked through the opening. The first thing she saw was what seemed like every kid in their high school circled around two figures. Their faces twisted in a sort of macabre joy as the singular word left their lips simultaneously. In the middle of the clearing was a scrawny form on the ground, shaking and trying to push themselves up with their trembling arms. The second was nearly a silhouette with almost no distinguishable traits, it hovered over the other motionlessly.

 

The silhouette watched as the other got to one knee, it's hand shot out to grab a fistful of the young man's hair. The scrawny teen yelped out in pain as he was yanked to his feet. When Marie recognized the teen as Edd, she nearly lost it. His right eye was swollen shut, black and blue from the assault done to him. Blood was flowing from his nose and a gash on his forehead. His lip was split down the middle, tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving streaks where the dirt and sweat mix clung to his skin. 

“P-p-plea-ease s-stop!” Edd pleaded with the silhouette as he struggled to bring his trembling arms up in attempt to defend himself.

Marie’s heart pounded in her throat, she was overcome by a multitude of emotions overflowing her all at once. She would have jumped forward in that instant if it wasn’t for every muscle in her body betraying her by freezing up completely. The panic welled inside of her, bubbling out in the form of a silent scream. Her mind went blank, all she could do was watch as one of her worst fears unfurled in front of her.

With a vice grip on Edd’s hair, the silhouette jerked his arm downwards as his knee came up, smashing Edd’s face with a deafening crack before tossing him aside. The crowd of kids roared with cheers and laughter, causing a shiver to run down Marie’s spine. The tears poured down her cheeks all the while silently calling for Edd. His body lay motionless in a heap at the figure’s feet. A pool of blood was seeping around where the other stood, like two stones in a river.

 

The man standing over Edd chuckled lowly, steadily growing in volume until his shoulders shook and the distorted hysteria of his maniacal laughter became more familiar. Marie felt her stomach drop and her blood run cold. The figure turned slowly towards her at a terrifyingly slow pace. A broad chest, face full of piercings, slicked back, dark hair and steely grey eyes. 

Ryan, with a well known, crazed look in his eyes, locked in on Marie from beyond the trees. She tried to escape his stare, she desperately tried to move.  _ Just fucking MOVE. _ She screamed herself inside her head, every time she glanced up he was just a bit closer. 

Their eyes locked once more, his piercing stare replaying everything they had like clipped scenes from a movie. Ryan grinned widely, baring his crooked teeth like a cheshire cat.

“It was all for you,  _ babe.” _

A shriek erupted from her throat and her eyes popped open. It was just a dream.  _ A fucked up nightmare.  _ Real tears blurred her vision and a sob caught in her throat, her body was shaking from the come down of adrenaline.

Marie became aware of the weight resting across her torso as the sobs subsided. Edd was snuggled close, his arm around her waist pulled her in, she could feel his soft breathing against her hair. 

The girl sat up, letting his limb fall to his side. Edd groaned, but didn’t wake up. He pulled the blanket over his head and settled back into his deep slumber. The blue haired girl wiped the wetness from her cheeks, knowing full well she smeared the dark makeup all over her face.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the nightmare, she always had vivid dreams but this one seemed so terrifyingly  _ real. Too real. _ Marie felt her heart begin to race again. What scared her was that she wouldn’t expect less from Ryan. It wasn’t the worst she’s seen him do, but the thought of him doing that to Edd because of  _ her _ had her tearing off his hoodie and high tailing it out of there. This time she was dead set on making sure Edd doesn’t get dragged down because of her.

When she emerged from the tent the sky was barely getting light. The sun was hiding behind the peak of a distant mountain range, tinging the atmosphere gold and pink against the deep blue of night. The girl struggled to pull her shoes on and nearly tripped over herself as she tried to zip the tent up quietly.

 

Once she was in her car she settled a cigarette between her lips, glancing down at the radio that read 5:38 am. She lit her smoke and started down the mountain. It took an hour before she was peeling into the ‘newly developed’ trailer park, in place of where the old trailer park used to be. 

The rows of single wide trailers came into view, and it looked like some of her neighbors were already doing lawn work. A little old man with a hunched back gave her a wave from his place in his garden, and Marie gave a warm smile in return. She turned the corner and parked in her spot next to her home.

It wasn’t much, the baby blue trim and soft yellow siding were an odd, albeit charming combination and the small front lawn desperately needed tending to. The narrow driveway was empty, her mother had yet to come home from work. Marie knew she wasn’t due for another half hour, and May wasn’t going to be home until late Sunday evening. 

Marie slipped out of her truck and walked down the thin walkway that lead right to the front porch. She climbed the five steps to the front door and wiggled her key into the lock. The door pushed open with ease and she stepped into the freezing cold living room; her mother must have forgotten to turn off the air conditioning before she went to work. She flipped the switch off, and padded through the bedroom she now only shared with May.

Lee no longer lived with them, though she only lived four houses down. When the new development went up she quickly jumped on the opportunity to have her own place that she ended up sharing with her best friend. Nonetheless, it was definitely a more spacious situation from the tiny one room trailer the family used to share.

Marie shut the door behind her, tossing her bag haphazardly on the floor before diving right into her bed that seemed to be calling her name since the moment she walked through the door. But she couldn’t sleep just yet. She felt filthy, after working an almost thirteen hour shift yesterday on top of her spontaneous night away in the mountains and waking up in a sheen of cold nightmare sweat, she needed to shower  _ now. _

 

The blue haired girl forced herself out of her comfy sheets and crossed the room to root through her dresser for a fresh pair of clothes. She settled on an old, holey Nirvana t-shirt that was once black but faded to a purplish grey from many washings. Next, she picked out a pair of black shorts with stars and moons on them and headed to the bathroom. 

She set her clothes on the counter and glanced up at herself in the mirror. Dark streaks of makeup smudged underneath her eyes only accentuated her tiredness. She wet a washcloth and pressed it to her cheek; the warmth of the water easily removed the blackness and dirt.

A clean, freckled face stared back at her, she frowned at the caramel colored dots that seemed to multiply by the day. She studied her blonde eyelashes, which were quite long but barely noticeable without a touch of mascara. The blueness of her hair was fading and in the fluorescent lighting it was beginning to take on a silvery tone; the strawberry blonde roots peeking out only accentuated that fact.

Her work shirt came off and then her pants; the freckles cascaded down her shoulders and chest, trailing like falling stars until there were no more. She stared at her barely there chest in the mirror, envying both of her sisters for being blessed with at least something there. She wasn’t sure if she even owned a bra anymore with how easy it was to go without one.

Marie stripped her underwear off and tore herself away from her reflection to twist the knob on the shower. She tested the temperature with her fingers until she could stand hopping in. Once she did, she nearly melted at how amazing it felt. A good few minutes passed with her just standing underneath the steaming hot water before she began her routine. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about the nightmare she had. The last thing she wanted for Edd was for him to get hurt, but the closer they got the more she worried. Ryan was, for lack of a better term, a sociopath; manipulative, non-empathetic, impulsive, hostile and particularly violent. Especially if he doesn’t get his way or what  _ he _ wants.

And he wanted her _ bad. _ The only reason she could see why was that she knew too much. He had women falling over him when they were together, so there wasn’t a problem there. That much hadn’t changed. She was pretty sure he was up to his old games still; after all, she was the one that paid the price, literally and figuratively.

After everything, her mother was left with all the court and lawyer fees, so she almost couldn’t pass up the job he offered her. A substantial amount more than what he was paying her co-workers, yet he still held it over her head like he was doing her a favor. In all fairness, he was. But in retrospect, he was the one manipulating a young teenage girl to cover his own tracks.

The girl rinsed her hair, staining the swirling water a soft blue as it rushed down the drain. She couldn’t help thinking of Edd and the bloodied face he was left with in her dream. Marie cringed, she could only imagine what he would do to Edd if given the opportunity. The best course of action she could think of was keeping her mouth shut and staying as far away from  _ both _ of them as much as possible.

As much as she cared for Edd and loved him dearly, she didn’t want to risk putting him in a situation that could potentially ruin his life. He had a lot going for him, and taking that away would crush her more than anything.

She rinsed the last bit of soap from her body, relishing in the waning hotness of the water before it began cooling down. Marie turned the water off and grabbed her towel from the rack, wrapping it around her torso and stepping out into the steamy bathroom.

 

After thoroughly drying herself off and dressing in her comfy pajamas she tossed her dirty work clothes in the hamper and stepped out into the small hallway that led to the kitchen. 

Her Mother was sitting at the kitchen table with a cigarette and a cup of coffee. The back door was propped open with a fan that was blowing her smoke outside. She had her feet resting on one of the kitchen chairs with a tired yet blissful expression on her face. 

Marie came around the corner and her Mother’s face lit up with the glee only a proud mom could be capable of.

“Hey, mouse! How’d you sleep?” She greeted her middle daughter with a cheerful grin.

“Fabulously.” The blue haired girl replied sarcastically as she sat at the table and took a cigarette from her Mother’s pack.

“That bad, huh?” Her Mother took a drag and blew the smoke into the fan. She looked over Marie thoughtfully, she could always tell when something was up with her kids, though she’s sure they wished she didn’t. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” Marie shot back a little too quickly, her eyes locked with her Mom’s as if to prove her point.

“Don’t lie to me.” Another drag blown into the fan before her Mother stood up and moved herself to the counter to begin making another cup of coffee.

Marie grabbed the lighter next to the ashtray, twirling it between her fingers. The pair were silent until her mother returned to the table with two cups of coffee. She set a white mug with little cat faces on it in front of her daughter and groaned as she sat back in her spot.

“Thanks.” The blue haired girl muttered as she took a sip of the steaming beverage. She settled the cigarette between her lips and lit it quickly. When she glanced up, her mother greeted her with an impatient smirk.

Marie sighed and averted her gaze. “Just had a bad dream, is all.”

“What about?”

Marie shot her mother an annoyed look, her hopes of a curt answer working were smashed. “Just… One of my friends getting hurt.”

“Okayyy…” She stared at her daughter incredulously, causing the girl to groan.

“Mom, it’s fine.” 

“Sure doesn’t sound  _ fine _ .” Her mother fired back, mocking the last word from hearing it a million times before. “You worry me.” The woman took a long sip from her mug.

“You worry about everything.”

“Everything to do with you and your sisters.” Her mother snaked her fingers through her long, curly, red hair and gave her daughter a wary look before taking out another smoke and lighting it instantly. “It’s my  _ job _ to worry.”

“Ever think of retiring?” A mischievous smirk crossed Marie’s lips as her mother sighed defeatedly.

“You know what-” 

Three sharp raps on the doorframe had them whipping their heads in the direction of the sound. A tall, slender girl with sandy brown hair down to her hips stood in the threshold. Her mousey face held bloodshot eyes and a crooked grin; she was dressed in a skimpy outfit far too revealing for a girl her age. A black romper with a plunging neckline; the only thing between bare skin was a sheer, strappy bralette. Makeup that was once done up smudged the corners of her lips and under her eyes. She was quite the sight to see at seven something in the morning.

“Are you still drunk?” Marie was gaping in awe at her disheveled and quite possibly still intoxicated friend.

“Naw…” The girl snickered underneath her raspy voice and wobbled over to the table in heels that made her already six foot frame tower over the mother and daughter pair. She plopped down in one of the mismatched chairs and pulled out her own pack of smokes. 

Marie’s friend reeked of alcohol and a mixture between cigarette smoke and weed, a smell not uncommon for the teenage girl, yet proved to be more pungent this morning. Marie’s mother was more or less unphased. Frankly, she couldn’t be bothered to care if it wasn’t her kid.

“Wassup, Kandi?” The girl’s gravelly voice continued after joining with her own cancer stick.

“Getting ready for bed. You should do the same, Tess.” Kandi Kanker gulped down the rest of her coffee and gently placed the mug on the table. Tess stared at the older woman in wonder.

“Wow, coffee before bed. You’re a wild one, Ms K.” 

Kandi Kanker shot the young girl a tired, yet cheeky half smile. “Let’s not talk about who’s wild, here.” 

Tess gave a sheepish grin to the older woman, chuckling under her breath. “It’s in my nature.” 

Kandi rolled her eyes, and glanced over to her daughter; who was still staring at her friend in shock.

“Two words; Hot. Mess.” The blue haired girl took a puff of her smoke and her mother scoffed.

“That’s an understatement.” 

“Hey, now.” The taller girl held both of her hands in front of her in defense. A sly grin crossed her features as she looked between the two women before her. “I was just pre-gaming for tonight.” 

“What’s tonight?” Marie wasn’t sure if she even wanted to know, given Tess’s state.

“Only the biggest fuckin’ rager Peach Creek’s seen yet.” Tess took a strong drag off of her cigarette, burning a quarter of it in one go. “Seriously, it’s gonna be a  _ total _ banger. You _ gotta _ come with me.” 

 

Marie scrunched her nose up, even when she was busy being a delinquent she didn’t care much for parties. Hell, Edd’s birthday party was the first in over a year and even then she had to be forced to go. “I dunno, sounds lame to me.” 

“No way, dude. It’s the first time Al’s had the house to himself  _ ever. Annnd…” _ The brunette paused to light up again, eager to relay the information back to her best friend. “He lives in Golden Orchard Estates.” 

Now _ that _ grabbed her attention. Golden Orchard Estates were possibly the swankiest, most exclusive and extremely private community there is for miles; if not the whole state. Protected by countless acres of peach and apple orchards, the gated neighborhood was the envy of most. Elaborate, lavish and castle-esque mansions tucked away in the furthest region of town were almost a complete mystery to those who lived in Peach Creek; aside from those invited in. And let’s just say the invitations were few and far between.

“No shit?” Marie perked up, an excited grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. She had been to the orchards as a kid and may or may not have delivered illegal substances to the front entrance of the private community; but she had never been past the gate, let alone inside any of the extravagant homes. 

“ _ No. Shit. _ ” The taller girl had an even bigger smile plastered on her face and the two teens chattered excitedly about their plans until Kandi stood from her spot at the table.

“Well, it’s time for these old bones to rest. You girls have fun, and absolutely  _ NO _ drinking and driving.” The girls reassured her that they would be good for the most part, but not without giving Kandi some grief. The older woman planted a kiss on her daughter’s forehead as she passed behind her and slipped off into her bedroom.

Marie sat in silence for a moment, staring at the mostly empty ashtray in the middle of the table. There was only one problem with the party situation. Al and Ryan were as thick as thieves could get, so it was only fair to assume that he would be there as well. Marie worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she began to rethink her decision. 

Tess almost instantly noticed the shift in her friends demeanor, and waved a hand in front of her face to get the spaced out Kanker girl’s attention. “Earth to Mar, you’re drifting into deep space.” 

“Huh?”

“Stop overthinking, I’m getting a headache just from watching you.” 

“You have a headache because you drink too much.” Marie pulled the remaining smoke from her mom’s pack that she left on the fable and chucked the empty container at the brunette across from her. The box bounced off the side of her cheek, but the girl barely flinched.

“Real mature.” Tess grabbed the empty package and tossed it into the trash next to her. “You were stoked like, two seconds ago. What’s up?”

The blue haired girl was silent for a moment, she lit her smoke and studied the burning cherry until Tess huffed impatiently. Marie sighed and slowly shifted her gaze to her friend, who was more or less displeased with Marie’s blatant disregard of her question. 

_ “Well?” _

“I don’t want to see Ryan, okay?” 

“Was that so hard?” A victorious smirk from the taller girl made Marie roll her eyes. “Don’t you still work with him? How do you not see him then?” 

“He schedules us opposite shifts. He’s usually gone by the time I get there or shows up as I’m leaving.” Tess nodded slowly, if it was anyone who knew their history through and through it’s her. One of the only people besides her sisters that knew everything about what happened between her and her psycho ex.

“Well, I heard he has a new lady, so hopefully that keeps him occupied for the week.” Tess shot a hopeful look in Marie’s direction. “But really, I want you to come with me… I barely saw you all summer. We used to hang out every day.”

That much was true, the blue haired girl had only hung out with her a handful of times after school got out. Not because she didn’t want to, she had kept herself so insanely busy during the summer that she even forgot about school until she got her class schedule two weeks prior.

“I miss you, man.” The two teenage girls made eye contact and Marie felt guilty for leaving her hanging so many times. SHe smiled at her lanky friend and sighed.

“I miss you, too.” 

“So… Is that a yes?” The brunette beamed at the smaller girl and shook a cigarette out from her pack.

“Yeah. Why not?” 

  
  


\---

 

One last flick of the mascara brush against her long lashes and her look was nearly complete. Marie stared at herself in the old, tarnished vanity mirror she shared with her sister and smiled. Even she could agree that she looked hot. A black, mini dress with straps that gave the impression of a pentagram lay flush against her pale skin and hugged the little curves she did have. She wasn’t one much for heels, so she settled on her favorite doc marten knockoffs, that she swears are better than the real deal.

The girl hummed along to the music bumping through her portable speaker as she touched up where her freckles still liked to peek through on her nose. She studied her freshly dyed hair for a moment, running her fingers through her fringe and settled it just the way she’s always liked it. A soft strumming transitioned from the last song and a familiar melody began to play

  
  


_ There's a place off Ocean Avenue _

_ Where I used to sit and talk with you _

_ “We were both sixteen and it felt so right _

_ Sleeping all day, stayin’ up all niiiight _

_ Stayin’ up all niiight.” _

Almost immediately, the blue haired girl began singing along and swaying her hips to the rhythm. The melody brought memories of simpler times, happier times. She couldn’t help but belt out lyrics as they came. As the chorus began Marie grabbed a hairbrush from the vanity and started using it as a pretend microphone. The girl sung along and danced like nobody could possibly be watching. Which would be true, with her Mother gone at work and May still at her dad’s; if it wasn’t for a certain brunette watching from the open window. 

_ “There’s a piece of you that’s here with me _

_ It’s everywhere I go, it’s everything I see _

_ When I sleep, I dream, and it gets me by _

_ I can make believe that you’re here tonight _

_ That you’re here toniiiight…”  _

Tess’s lips pulled into a warm smile, being able to witness her friend completely unbridled and happy was more than a treat. The brunette crawled through the window, her long legs and choice of heels were definitely helpful in making sure she didn’t make a peep. She settled herself on Marie’s bed, careful to not disturb the rare show. 

_ “We’ll be together for one more night, _

_ Somewhere, Somehow..” _

The blue haired girl twirled around, now facing Tess. Her eyes were closed, still completely immersed in her personal jam session. 

_ “If I could find you now things would get better! _

_ We could leave this town and run for-” _

Marie jumped at the surprise of somebody suddenly appearing in her bedroom, nevermind that it was her best friend. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest and Tess had a shit eating grin on her face. 

“How long?” Marie’s ears and cheeks burned hot with embarrassment. She still wasn’t over the overwhelming stage fright that has held her back countless times. 

“Not long enough.” Tess bared her semi straight teeth, with the exception of a snaggletooth or two. “You sounded better than the actual song, by the way.” She pulled a cigarette from behind her ear and held it to her mouth. 

“Whatever.” Marie tossed the hairbrush on the bed and faced the mirror, grabbing her favorite tube of red lipstick,  _ Cherry Kiss. _

“ _ And  _ you look hot. Take a complement, God.” Marie rolled her eyes and turned to face her friend.

“What about  _ you?  _ You look like you're ready for a red carpet event or something.” Tess cleaned up phenomenally since her appearance in her kitchen earlier that morning. A form fitting red dress clung to her hips and waist as if it was painted onto her body. Another plunging neckline exposed more of her than what should be appropriate for a girl of seventeen and the short hem of the dress made her already long legs look impossibly longer. 

Necklaces of varying lengths complimented her slender neck and protruding collarbone. Her face was so done up that Marie almost couldn't believe who she was looking at. She still saw the tomboyish girl she met back in eighth grade. 

“Shut. Up. Look at  _ yourself!”  _ The taller girl sprung off the bed and twirled the blue haired girl around so she was facing the mirror. “You got it  _ goin’ ooonnnn.”  _ Marie rolled her eyes at her friend and tried not to smile as she applied two coats of the lipstick she was still holding. “You're giving Ryan a run for his money.”

Marie tossed the tube of lipstick onto the vanity and turned to face Tess. Her eyes held contempt at the mere sound of his name. “ I'm not trying to make him feel  _ any  _ sort of way.”

“Oh right, there's  _ hickey boy.” _

The shorter girl froze. She never told Tess about it, nor was she around when the bruises were still present. “How do you know about that?” 

Tess scoffed and finally lit the cigarette that had been dangling from her mouth. “Ry was all sorts of busted up about it.” A thick plume of smoke passed her lips as she spoke. “ He's been trying to figure out who it was, but I had no leads; considering I never see you anymore.” The petty jab made Marie shrug guiltily. The thought of Ryan already trying to seek Edd out was enough to send her heart into a frenzy. 

“Unknot your panties, he's not going to find out, he's too busy with his new… play thing. Although  _ I'm  _ curious as fuck. Promise I won't say anything.” The brunette held out her pinky and the other cautiously curled hers around it. 

“You have to guess first.” Marie smirked and Tess’s face twisted into thought. She flicked the ash off of her smoke into an empty soda can sitting on the vanity. Her eyes lit up as if she had cracked the code. 

“Was it Ezra?” Marie wrinkled her nose and shook her head as she laughed. Their friend Ezra was kind enough, and admittedly had a thing for Marie; although he never tried anything, mostly out of fear that Ryan would do something to him if he did. 

The brunette began rattling names, starting with their friends and acquaintances even going so far as to guess teachers and parents to which the blue haired girl cringed and gave adamant “no’s.”

“Fuck it, I give up.” Tess sat back on Marie's bed lit another cigarette as her previous one burned out. “Tell me. I must know.” 

“So… do you remember that math tutor you had sophomore year?” 

The taller girl furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before it clicked in her brain. “Really?” Marie was silent, if it wasn't for her full face of makeup Tess would have definitely noticed her face burning bright red with embarrassment. “ _ That  _ stuck up, know it all? The one with the stupid hat and the big ass gap?” 

“ _ Yes. That one.”  _

“Mariiieee…. No.” The blue haired girls ears burned with shame as she plopped down on her bed next to Tess. 

“What? He’s cute.” 

“In a complete, virginal, Steve Urkel kinda way, I guess.” The brunette flicked her half smoked cigarette out the window and layed back on the bed, sinking into the plush bedding. “Well…”    
  


“Well, what?” 

“Was it any good? How was it?” A sly grin replaced the distaste that was once plastered on her face. “Is he hung?” 

“Yes. Fucking amazing. And I can neither confirm nor deny.” Marie resisted the urge to bury her face into her pillow as to not ruin her face that she so meticulously did. 

“So that’s a ‘yes’.”

The shorter girl pushed herself to her feet and started towards the door, avoiding answering her friend’s probing questions. “I thought you wanted to go to this  _ sick _ party.” 

Tess just cackled loudly. “Ya damn right!” 

 

 

\---

 

The cooling remnants of the warm summer breeze blew through the windows as the two teen girls wizzed down the open road. Acres upon acres of ripened fruit trees lined the two lane road in parallel perfection. The sweet, earthy aroma filled the car and the fond memories of seasons spent picking fruit made Marie smile. 

Heavy bass blasted through her speakers, making couples and families with small children stare after them as they whisked by. The warm spectrum of colors flooded the sky with oranges and pinks, making the orchards almost glow against the deep purples of the mountains in the distance. It seemed like they were driving endlessly until they came over the peak of a small hill, exposing the elite neighborhood just straight ahead. 

Both girls could barely contain their excitement as they rolled up to an enormous white gate with marble-esque stone that glittered and shone in the setting sun. Next to them was a sleek looking screen and a small slatted speaker underneath settled into the stone column; there didn’t seem to be a button to speak to someone. 

“Uhhh….” Marie faltered in her words, she didn’t know what to say. The handful of times she had been there the person she was waiting for was already outside the gates. Nor did she stick around to figure out how they got back in. But even before she could start her sentence, a middle aged man's voice called from the speaker. 

“Miller residence?” A clipped response to the idle teens.

“Um, ye-” Before the blue haired girl could respond, the tall spiked gates seemed to glide open with ease without much sound. 

“All the way to the end of this street, hang a left, it’s the very last house at the end of the driveway.” 

“Th-Thank you!” The speaker clicked and then there was silence, the towering gates before them slowed to a stop, allowing just enough room for her hulking vehicle to pass. Marie cautiously rolled forward, barely clearing the entrance before the gate slammed shut behind them.

“We’re in!” Tess exclaimed, clenching her fist in exaggerated victory. They had finally made it to the other side of the gate; and it was every bit as extravagant as they imagined. Beautifully trimmed trees and shrubbery all but completely shrouded the lavishly impressive homes. The further they traveled the narrow road; the bigger and more ridiculously expensive the houses became. 

They took a left at the end of the road like the man said, only to be met with an even smaller road with more foliage than the last. It was only a quarter of a mile long and the entire time they were driving they only could spot three enormous mansions from behind the coverage. It seemed like they were never going to reach their destination until they came around a tight corner and before them lay another gate. This one, nearly as tall as the last but far more intricate and posh. Gold and silver man made vines wrapped around a solid gold placard with the name “Miller” scrawled in elegant cursive. 

“You've gotta be kidding me…”The blue haired girl gaped in awe with what was behind the impressive gate. An enormous mansion with a circular driveway lined with cars she both recognized and was drooling over. She didn't even notice when the gate before her slowly opened as her car inched forward. Tess nudged the other with her elbow, bringing her back from her moment of amazement.

Before them was an elaborate fountain smack dab in the middle of the drive, marble lions spurting water out of their mouths looked like it belonged in a museum, much less somebody's driveway. Marie parked behind a slime green geo-metro that had nearly it’s whole back end littered with stickers and decals. The well known vehicle could only be their friend Ezra’s; and in front of that was none other than Ryan’s. A blacked out mustang that held so many memories; good and bad. It made her stomach feel sick. 

The two teen girls exited the car, and even from the massive driveway they could hear the booming bass of the music inside and the chaotic voices of inebriated young adults. It sounded like a club more than a house party. 

Enormous double, wood doors stood before them, Tess took the liberty of waltzing right in and immediately the two were hit with loud music and a sea of bodies. Crowds of people flooded the sizeable foyer, dancing, chasing one another and everything in between. Marie stood at the threshold in awe. There were so many people; some she knew from school and spotted at the campout were there along with old acquaintances and people she definitely didn't know. 

Marie turned to talk to Tess, but her lanky friend had already disappeared into the throngs of people. The blue haired girl silently cursed her and began weaving her way through the rowdy people. The wandering eyes from lustful men and the daggers being thrown at her from the women they were with helped her clear the mass quickly. 

When she made it to the other side she ended up in a darkened hallway; there's several couples kissing and caressing each other in the low light, some even going far enough to make the blue haired girl blush. She took a turn to the left, away from makeout alley and headed down the darkened corridor. Before she knows it she's standing in the threshold of what must be the enormous family room. Elegant and modern furniture and art decorated the area, causing the girl to gape in awe.

For what seemed like the millionth time that night she was thoroughly shocked. She knew Al was loaded, but not to this extent. The girl was so enamored by everything she was seeing that she almost didn't notice there were people occupying the space. Everyone looked up to glance at her sudden entrance, particularly a chubby dude who looked like he had already failed at having a career as a rapper. The round faced man waved at Marie excitedly and his equally moon faced girlfriend shot her a leery look from her spot under the man's arm. 

The guy hauled himself off the plush couch and closed the gap between himself and Marie. He was close enough now that she felt herself leaning away from his borderline offensive beer breath. 

“Marie! It's been a minute! How are you?” He grabbed her hand excitedly and pretended to shake it as he leaned in close enough for a whisper to be heard and without giving her a chance to answer he asked; “Do you still know ‘Lucy’?”

Marie stood there awkwardly. In that moment she finally remembered who this guy was. One of her ex’s many cohorts and buyers. There was a time where Marie was supplying him constantly to the point where his was the second to last face she saw before being forced inside a squad car and being hauled off to kiddie jail. It had been a long time since anyone has asked her for drugs and now that she was nearly a completely different person, it made her uncomfortable. 

The girl backed away, jerking her hand from his grasp. “No. I don't.” Marie spun around and walked as fast as she could out of that room. The man called after her, but she had already turned the corner. It seemed like no matter what she did or where she went the past always seemed to catch up to her. 

She pushed past the couples packing the tight space, causing a few of them to complain as the girl bumped into them. Emerging into the kitchen was a wild ride in and of itself; the music seemed impossibly loud for large room. There was a full blown game of beer pong going on and the whole group cheered as an obviously plastered girl made a shot into one of the cups. Others were lounging by the counters smoking weed and sipping on their drinks. There was nobody there she could immediately recognize and she began to get frustrated that she couldn't locate the one person she came with. 

The girl scanned the room once more and caught the eye of at least one familiar face. One she wasn't too keen on seeing in a place like this. A young man; who she only knew as “Skater” frantically waved at her from across the room. There was only one thing she knew he wanted from her and she wasn't about to get sucked into another drug related conversation. Marie cleared the kitchen quickly as she heard her name being called over the booming bass and found her way outside to the massive patio. She didn't realize how hot it was inside the mansion until the cool night air hit her skin that was already sticky with sweat. 

The patio was surprisingly empty except for the few people milling around smoking cigarettes. Marie distanced herself from the strangers before one of them ended up being another burned bridge and took a seat against the house in the furthest corner she could find. She lit her own cigarette then, letting the smoke fill her lungs until she had to exhale. 

The excitement had worn off now that she was alone. Parties have never been her thing, let alone a rager of this magnitude and she was beginning to regret coming at all. Too many memories flooding her brain that she didn't want. Too many people she cut away because she had to and wanted to. One person she didn't want to run into, the one person she genuinely feared. And he was here, somewhere. 

Lost in her overthinking, the girl didn't notice the voice calling her name until they were almost within reach of her. Once more the person called her name, causing her head to snap up in surprise. Before her stood a stocky body with arms covered in tattoos, a brilliant white smile and a head full of shaggy gingery hair. 

“Hey! Mar! You  _ are  _ here!” The young man, who could have easily been mistaken as a regular party-goer was none other than the host himself. Al Miller, with his bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks took a seat next to Marie, pulling her into a tight and awkward side hug; He smelled like liquor and sweat. The young man pulled away and flashed her another dazzling smile. “Dude, I’m  _ so _ happy you’re here! We should chill more often, like we used to, and…” Al began rambling, a common occurrence for the young man, inebriated or not. Marie had a hard time keeping up and hardly realised she had stopped paying attention until she heard that one name that always raised her hackles. 

“What did you say?” 

“I  _ said _ ;  _ Ryan’s _ been looking for you.” 

There didn’t seem to be a point during this night so far when her ex  _ wasn’t  _ brought up. As if him being on her mind and in her dreams wasn’t enough. The girl pushed herself up from her position on the ground and turned to face the way she came. “If you see him, tell him I’m not here.” Marie tossed her half smoke to the side and began striding away from her confused and drunk friend. 

“Marie, I’m sorry, I forgot…” But it was too late, the girl was already halfway to the door. She began pushing past the people in the kitchen and hallway, even if Tess wanted to stay, she wanted to at least tell her she was leaving. 

It seemed like ages passed as she mazed her way through the enormous mansion. At one point she found herself circling the hallways, searching for her gangly friend, to no avail. She was just about to give up when a frantic pale figure came rushing towards her. The young man she recognized as one of the aptly named “creepy twins” closed the gap between them. 

“Have you seen Crow?” The young man’s wide eyes searched for an answer within hers, and she looked away quickly. She did seem to find it quite odd that they were separated. They never seemed to be apart for more than a few moments and from the looks of it she could only assume that the other had been astray for awhile. 

“N-no. I haven’t seen him.” Not that she could really tell the difference between the two. She just knew it was a problem if one was out the other. 

The young man huffed and continued down the long stretch of hallway, his lengthy, black clothing flowing behind him like something out of a horror movie. Marie couldn’t shake the weirdness of the situation; they literally were  _ never _ apart. She continued on her mission, mentally dismissing the odd encounter; until she rounded the corner and found herself in yet another awkward situation. 

Almost running into a six foot two frame and a tiny blonde attached to his arm, Marie nearly felt her heart drop through her stomach. Ryan and his new fling stood before her, the girl giving her a nasty look as Marie hesitated. She was about to breeze past them without a word until Ryan struck up a ‘casual’ conversation between them.

“Hey, there you are. I didn’t think you’d come. I know you’re not really down for partying.” The brunette flashed a drunken smile at her, not paying any mind to the blonde glaring at Marie with jealousy. The blue haired girl contained herself the best she could, if she played into him the way he wanted her to there was no chance of getting out of it without a struggle. 

“Have you seen Tess?” Marie flatly asked, if he didn’t know then she had no business talking to him outside of work. 

Ryan shrugged and curled his lip in thought. “‘Mm, no. Can’t say I have.” His response was enough for her to begin to move around the couple without another word until he turned his attention to the blonde girl. “Do you mind giving us a sec? Just need to kink out some work stuff.” 

Both the blonde girl and Marie stared at him with hesitation, neither one of them wanting Marie to be alone with him. This caused the brunette to flip on the charm for his new girl, the same charm that Marie saw straight through. 

“I’ll just be a minute. Go get yourself a drink, get comfortable and wait for me. I’ll be right down.” A persuasive smirk tugged at his lips as the blonde girl gave in; shouldering Marie as she made her descent down the staircase. 

And there they were, alone in the empty hallway. She could feel her heart about to beat out of her chest and her throat dry up. There hasn't been a time for awhile where she felt comfortable being alone with him and it pissed her off that he made it so. 

“What do you want?” She asked tensely, there was no way she was going to drag it on longer than it had to be. 

“Look…” The young man sighed, his steely eyes flicked up and bore into hers. He took a step closer to her and she took a half step back, not allowing that space to close between them completely. “I just wanted to apologize for being a  _ massive _ jackass to you.” He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish gesture, not that it helped his case any. “I feel terrible… can't you find it in you somewhere to forgive me?” The booze on his breath almost left her dizzy, it was so strong that she wondered if he even knew what he was saying to her. 

“Apologize when you're sober.” A cold reply as she turned to step away but two strong hands planted themselves on her shoulders as she was spun back around. They were closer now than they had been in over year and it left her feeling unsettled. Nothing about the situation seemed right.  His fingers tightened around her petite shoulders and she could feel her heart rate skyrocket. 

“ _ Please _ , Marie. I need you. I-I don't know what to do without you…” His slurring made him stutter and the blue haired girl began to twist away from him. “I'm still in love with you… I know you feel the same way, too.” 

“Let go of me, Ryan.” Marie locked eyes with him once again and the facade of his character melted away. All she saw was anger and contempt and the way he was holding her back and pushing her against a wall only made her struggle more.

“Just let me prove it to you…” He leaned in and forcefully planted a kiss to her lips. The girl pushed away from him, twisting her head away as he attempted to part her lips with his tongue. Her fight or flight response kicked in as he struggled to keep her pinned against the wall and himself. 

“What are you doing?! Stop!” Marie cried out, but the brunette wasn't so easily dissuaded. He grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the wall, his grip so tight she could feel the circulation being cut off to her hand. “I don't  _ want _ to be with you! Ow! Stop!” The girl shrieked as he forced his leg between hers, nearly crushing her between himself and the wall. His eyes, a strange, unsettling mix between rage and lust bore into hers yet again. She was scared, she was really, truly terrified. 

“Oh, so you'll play hard to get with  _ me,  _ but you'll screw anyone who gets a little liquor in you. Ha, is that all it takes, Marie? Maybe I should get you a drink so you'll stop with the bullshit already.” Tears sprung to the young girls eyes, he truly had a special way of hurting her with just words, not that it surprised her. The hand on her shoulder disappeared and roughly grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I  _ know _ you want me.” One last whisper before smashing his mouth against hers pressing his lower half against her thigh. She could feel the erection in his jeans jabbing her soft flesh.

The girl began to panic, she tried pushing him away from her with her free hand, without much success. When his hand left her jaw and began snaking up her thigh she frantically tried wiggling away from him, desperately trying to set herself free, but he was too strong, especially with how drunk he was. His fingertips grazed the cotton of her underwear and she immediately jerked her hips away. 

“STOP!” Marie screamed, and within a split second his grip left her wrist and his palm slapped against her cheek with a deafening crack. Her ear began to ring loudly and she nearly felt like she was going to pass out. Her face burned with the flow of tears streaming down her face. Before she got the chance to even remotely collect herself his fingers knotted through her hair, holding her in place against the wall and seizing every move she wanted to make. 

“Shut. The Fuck. Up.” Ryan growled through his teeth as he ripped her underwear down. The girl began to sob, begging him to stop. His fingers roughly found their way inside of her, ripping her open like she was an object.

“Please… you're hurting m-me…” The girl pleaded with him and still tried to shy away, using what energy she did have to move her hips away as much as possible. She wasn't religious but she began to pray for anything or anyone to come along and stop this horrible encounter. The jingle of a belt buckle being undone nearly had her giving up until a soft voice called out from behind them. 

“Marie?” 

Almost immediately, Ryan released her. The terror collected himself and turned to see who had interrupted his sick game. A chubby, tan face stared back at them in horror and Marie swears she'd never been so happy to see Ezra. His big brown eyes bounced between the two before Ryan closed the gap between them, coming within millimeters of the other's face. 

“You say  _ anything _ and I'll make you  _ wish _ you were dead.” Ryan pushed past him and took off down the stairs, away from the mess he had caused. As soon as he was out of view Marie crumpled to the ground, tears streaking her face as she tried to cover up and collect herself. 

Within seconds Ezra was by her side, he didn’t know what to do for her other than ask; “Did what I  _ think _ just happen actually happen?” 

Marie couldn’t answer, her mind was blank, her body trying to numb the pain she just endured. The overwhelming urge to just get the hell out of there overpowered everything else. Without realizing it, she had stood up and adjusted her clothing as discreetly as she could in front of her friend. She hardly even noticed the boy calling her name as she ran down the flight of stairs. She didn’t care about the people complaining as she plowed through the crowd in the foyer, she just needed to get out of there as fast as she could. 

The girl threw herself into her car and began to peel out of the driveway, slamming on her breaks as she came to the golden gate that opened painfully slow. She glanced up to her rear view mirror only to see Ryan standing in the threshold of the house, glowering along with his new ‘girlfriend’. She was beginning to wish that looks could  _ actually  _ kill because she’d rather be dead than deal with his presence for another moment. 

As she squeezed her truck through the small opening she saw a group of people surround Ryan and the blonde. One talked to Ryan, and then gaped at her car, she could feel the whole group staring even after she had turned the sharp corner out of the driveway. Her heart dropped and she swallowed hard against the tears that continued to flow. She was beginning to get the feeling that things were far from over. 

 


	7. Vague Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have to apologize for my extended absence. On top of working full time and real life things goings on, I was completely uninspired. I'm still going to finish this out even if it kills me. Just be patient with updates, I'm working on it every day. 
> 
> Also have to apologize if there's any mistakes, I didn't edit, just went straight from my document to here, please enjoy. It's more than likely boring af.
> 
> P.S Lame chapter name because I'm over this chapter completely

_ Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep… _ The incessant blaring from Eddward Vincent’s alarm clock jolted the young man from his deep sleep, his long fingers searched for the button to silence the noise. The boy turned over in his sheets as the room went quiet and he slowly sat up in his bed, eyeing the time that read ‘6:00 a.m.’

 

His eyes burned with exhaustion; for once it wasn't the stress of endless studying that kept him awake. As he was getting ready for bed the night before, his phone rang; when he checked the caller ID he was quick to answer. It was his Mother, and he hadn't heard from either of his parents for weeks. 

 

Like a kid on Christmas he was on the edge of excitement to hear from them, the last he checked there was less than a month until their return. He answered the phone and was greeted with his mother's professional tone.  

 

_ “Eddward?”  _

 

_ “Hello, mother! How are you? How’s Father?” _

 

_ “Great, great. We’re both great.” He could hear the tension in his mother’s voice. In the pit of his stomach he could feel things weren’t quite right. Both of them were quiet, the second hand of the clock ticking away was about to drive him insane when his mother cleared her throat and finally spoke. “Eddward, your father and I have received another job offer.” _

 

_ Lost in his naivety and delight to be on the phone with one of his parents he didn’t realize the hidden implication before he spoke. “W-well, that’s… great!” Edd paused, it wasn’t always easy finding encouraging words for his parents’ deliberate absences. “Does that mean… it’s closer to home, or…? _

 

_ A heavy silence fell over the two, the static from the weak connection hummed in his ear until his mother cleared her throat again. “Unfortunately, no.”  _

 

_ Edd’s heart sank. Admittedly, this wasn’t the first time he had been disappointed by his parents, and he was sure it certainly wasn’t the last; but there’s only so much a person can take before one tends to snap. After all the missed holidays and forgotten birthdays, the special moments that could have been spent together, the young man had managed to cope up until this moment. “If you’re going to go ahead and abandon your only child you might as well just come out with it.”  _

 

_ “Eddward. You know this is important-”  _

 

_ “So your job is more important than me?”  _

 

_ “You know that’s not what I meant.”  _

 

_ “Then what the hell  _ _ do _ _ you mean?” He could hear his mother trying to keep her cool on the other end, her controlled breathing into the receiver told him that much. But he wasn’t done, years worth of pent up resentment and anger began pouring out. “Is it really  _ _ so _ _ important that you can’t call me or at least text me? I speak with your assistant more than you.”  _

 

_ His mother was quiet on the other end. He knew his words stung, he even hoped for it. Edd wasn’t the type to enjoy cutting others down to make himself better, but if it meant getting the point across to his parents he was more than willing to make the effort.  _

 

_ “You didn’t even remember my birthday.”  _

 

_ “Eddward, I’m sorry… Your father and I have been so busy, and-”  _

 

_ “Please, spare me.” The tears crept up on him and his voice began to waver. “How long are you going to be gone this time? Until I finish college? Are you even going to make it to my graduation?” His heart pounded against his ribcage as he waited for answers, but was only greeted with silence. That was more than an answer for him. _

 

_ “We’ll try our best, but I can’t make any promises.” His mother's cold, corporate response was the straw that broke the camel’s back. As angry as he was, he had at least managed to maintain some of his composure; but he felt himself become undone. _

 

_ “Then what the  _ _ fuck _ _ is the point?” His mother gasped at the curse that spilled from her only child. She started to reprimand him for the unbecoming language but that only fueled the flames. “Shut up! You pushed me to take four advanced placement classes, you want me to be “Ivy League material”, YOU want me to give up my dreams. For what? Your reputation? So you can say your son went to Princeton or Columbia or whatever pretentious, overpriced hell hole will accept me?”  _

 

_ “I push you for your own good. Stop being so ungrateful.”  _

 

_ “Fuck you.” _

 

That was the last thing he said to his mother before hanging up on her. Edd grabbed his cell phone from the night stand, there was one message from his mother that he didn't have the heart to look at yet; but he was checking his phone for a different reason. 

 

He opened the message he sent to Marie late last night after the explosive argument with his mother. 

 

**2:28 am: Hey, I’m texting to make sure you made it home okay. You were gone by morning, so I didn’t get a chance to see you off. Was wondering if you had the time to talk?**

 

No reply, much to the young man’s dismay, not that he was surprised. Aside from the camping trip, the communication between Marie and himself had been few and far between. He felt as if she was purposefully avoiding him at this point, but he quickly pushed the insecurities out of his mind. Marie Kanker had always been a sort of enigma to him; even in childhood he could never quite figure out where she was coming from. All he knew was that it was best to just let her do her thing and stay out of the crossfire.

 

After mustering the energy to roll himself out of bed the young man went through the motions. A quick shower and a shave of the scarce stubble on his chin and upper lip woke him up enough to find the will to get ready for school. 

 

Positioned in front of his closet in a towel, he eyed his typical first day of school outfit. Pastel button down, a solid colored tie, an arguably hideous, argyle cardigan and dress pants. Normally he would be all for it. He wasn't a man who was above dressing up and looking nice; but somehow it just didn't seem appropriate. Between the fight with his mother and being ignored by his ever elusive crush, he didn't really give a damn about what he would be wearing to school. 

 

The young man tore through his closet, rooting through the unfavorable amount of button downs and slacks. He chose a plain, white t-shirt and a pair of faded, grey jeans. Nothing too out of the ordinary, not that anyone would really notice. Edd pulled himself together and grabbed his backpack he organized the night before. It was halfway down the stairs when he remembered his hat and turned on a dime to fetch it.

 

He bounded down the stairs and flung the door open, and before he had a chance to make it past the threshold there was Ed and Eddy, casually waiting for him on his doorstep. Double D was thoroughly shocked and impressed that the pair managed to be ready and waiting on  _ him;  _ more often than not he left without them on school days.

 

“Gentlemen. You’re surprisingly punctual today.” 

 

The taller of the two boys scratched his head and laughed, Eddy rubbed his still half lidded eyes and motioned across the cul-de-sac to the broken down truck sitting stagnantly in Ed’s driveway. “Truck’s still busted, can we get a lift with you?” Ed threw a sad glance in the same direction and pouted.

 

“Dad says I have to get a job if I want to fix it…” 

 

Double D placed a hand on his dopey friend’s shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile. “It’ll be fine, Ed. You’ll find something in no time.” The ginger haired boy flashed the other boy one of his infamous goofy smiles. Eddy huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning towards Double D’s car. 

 

The sky’s dark clouds rumbled above them as the boys piled in and began heading in the direction of the high school. Edd turned onto the main road and found himself stuck behind a vehicle with disabled plates crawling at a near snails pace.

 

Eddy groaned and nearly jumped out of the passengers seat. The boisterous Ed slammed his finger down on the window button and stuck his head out. “C’mon, Grandma! It’s forty, not twenty fi-” The shortest Ed went flying face first into the dash as Double D slammed his foot on the break. The granny ahead of him came to nearly a full stop as a blacked out truck came barreling out of the trailer park. 

 

Immediately Double D recognized the truck as Marie’s. His stomach felt as if there were a million butterflies trapped inside, he stared longingly after her before an angry honk from the driver behind them and a sharp elbow digging into his arm pulled him back to reality. The young man sped away and around the granny in vain attempt to catch up. 

 

“Geez, did she get her license from a cereal box or do they give them out after so many trips to the welfare office?” Eddy cackled at his own joke but neither of the other boys were laughing. The rest of the drive there consisted of the shorter Ed dragging the blue haired Kanker girl through insult after insult, the more he talked the more Double D felt his blood pressure rise. 

 

They rolled into the student parking lot, parking next to a motorcycle they knew as Kevin’s and an offensively green geo metro that looked like it's prime had long passed. From his place in the driver’s seat, a head of bright blue hair caught the corner of his eye. It was Marie, but she didn’t quite look like herself. 

 

Her normally wild mop of dyed hair was pulled back into half ponytail, exposing her makeup-less face and the purple bruise across her cheek. She clutched a large binder close to her chest as she sped walked towards the school, her blonde sister trailed behind her, trying to catch up and even going so far as to glance back at Ed as he called for her, but continued the pursuit of her elder sister. 

 

“It looks like she got punched and lost…” Ed mumbled worriedly, and Eddy snorted in response.

 

“It's about time she got what was coming to her. She probably deserved it.” 

 

That was the last straw for the young man, he wasn't about to sit there and listen to Eddy slander her when he knew nothing about her. Edd grabbed his belongings and threw open his door, hopping out and slamming it in Eddy's face as he continued to amuse himself. 

 

He could hear his stout friend yelling after him while he made his way to the front doors. When he emerged into the school it looked like absolute mayhem. Freshmen and new students feverishly navigated the halls to their lockers and first classes, the primed students hung around in groups, excitedly chattering and sharing school schedules with one another. Hall monitors and teachers scolding and chasing after the returning trouble makers for causing a ruckus in the main hall. 

 

“What the hell is your problem?” Eddy and Ed had caught up to him, the shorter one shoving the other to gain his attention when he refused to look in his direction. “Hey! Sockhead!” Edd turned to face his friend, throwing daggers as their eyes met. He had just about reached his emotional threshold for the day; with the fight, not hearing from Marie and then seeing her like that on top of Eddy’s relentless roasting and how he was treating him right now made him snap.

 

“ _ MY _ problem is your demeaning, arrogant, presumptuous attitude. You’re absolutely delusional if you believe belittling people through cruel jokes and treating your so called ‘best friends’ like garbage will get you any sort of respect. Listen to what I’m telling you and learn from it.” And with that the lanky Ed strode away from the two, leaving Eddy agape and Ed standing in shock.

 

He didn’t bother to look back, his legs took him straight to his locker, the same one he had the year prior and then directly to his first class of the day. When he entered the room, the first thing he saw was a plump, heavy set woman sitting at her desk in the corner. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled into a high bun so tightly that it nearly gave her a face lift. She peeked over her cat eye glasses at the intruder but quickly went back to typing away on her laptop when she realised it was a student. 

 

Edd sat in third seat from the door in the front row, not that he preferred it, there were plenty of seats still open aside from two that were occupied by sleeping students; it was just the fact that his reading glasses were still missing and he could barely see from the back without them. 

 

The tapping of the keyboard and the rumble of voices from the hallways filled the room. His mind began wandering to Marie, yet again. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a trick of the light or if there really was a large bruise across her cheek. He wondered how it happened, if she was okay and the sort. The young man was lost in thought until the warning bell rang, kids started pouring in and filling the space. It was a few seconds later when a familiar blonde bounced in. Nazz, with her hair in a tight ponytail and wearing an overtly, flashy outfit waved at Edd excitedly and took the second seat, next to him. The two chatted casually as the room filled until there was one seat left, closest to the door on the other side of Nazz. When the final bell rang, the portly woman stood from her desk. She waddled to the front of the room, grasping a clipboard she hadn’t yet taken her eyes off of as her tiny heels clicked against the linoleum.

 

She stopped, and almost as if on cue, a small girl with bright blue hair rushed in and quickly situated herself in the only remaining desk. Edd blinked at her incredulously, not that he wasn’t happy to see her, she just never seemed like the overachieving type. 

 

The teacher, with her intense stare, locked eyes with Marie. Without breaking eye contact she addressed the entire class. “I am Ms. Humphries. Welcome, to advanced placement statistics. In this class there are several rules you all are required to follow.” The woman pushed her glasses up her pointy nose and glanced down at the clipboard she was still holding. “Tardies are unacceptable and will  _ not _ be tolerated.” Without skipping a beat, she proceeded to take roll call. “Nazz Van Bartonschmeer.” 

 

“Here!” The bright eyed and bushy tailed blonde called out, causing Ms. Humphries to shoot a stony glare at the energetic girl . She went down the list until she got to the names that start with “K”. 

 

“Amber Juarez.”

 

“Here.” 

 

“Marie Kanker.”

 

Edd’s eyes fell on Marie when she didn’t answer immediately. Her red, puffy eyes glanced up at the older woman. She quietly choked out a short “here”, and Ms. Humphries’ attention shot over to the front corner of the room. She eyed the blue haired girl carefully, her frigid manner faltered, if only for the moment. Something about the girl’s state made the other’s voice soften.

 

“I’ll let today’s tardy slip, Miss Kanker, but be forewarned; each tardy will affect your overall grade in my class. I expect punctuality and perfect attendance. If you miss this class, good luck catching up.” 

 

Marie nodded her head slowly and stared down at her desk. It was shocking to see the normally playful and clever girl so distant and dejected. A muffle of soft giggles from a group of boys in the back made Edd glance over his shoulder. One pointed at the blue haired girl and whispered in one’s ear as he tried not to laugh. 

 

Edd raised his eyebrow, it was quite the opposite of most reactions the young girl got from their classmates and he couldn’t help feeling as if he was missing something. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, Ms. Humphries wasn’t the type to beat around the bush when it came to school work.

 

She waddled towards her desk and wheeled over the cart situated with thick, uniform textbooks all perfectly in order. “Miss Kanker, would you so kindly assist me in handing out this years textbooks?” The blue haired girl begrudgingly stood from her desk, grabbing a pile of books from the cart. She began making her way up and down the aisles. She slid one onto Edd’s desk and his eyes met hers as he gave her a polite “thank you.” Marie gave him a weak smile, then continued with her task.

 

The lanky teenager watched as she made her way towards the back of the class where the group of giggling boys sat. The blue haired girl didn't have the chance to set a book down when a leg of one of the boys shot out into the aisle. Marie tripped, the books she was carrying flew out of her arms and scattered across the floor. She hit the ground with enough force to get the wind knocked out of her. 

 

Laughter erupted from the back of the room, the rest of the class, Nazz and Edd included stared in shock. The curly haired boy that was to blame for the incident guffawed in her face as she pushed herself up. 

 

“Just keep finding yourself back on your knees, eh?  _ Trailer Tramp!”  _ Marie’s face began to burn with embarrassment and even from Edd’s spot in the front row he could see her eyes brimming over with tears. She quickly pushed herself up from the ground, making a b-line to her desk, grabbing her things and rushing out of the classroom. Ms Humphries called after her, and like it was instinctual, Edd nearly jumped out of his desk to trail after her. 

 

“Mr. Vincent!” The older woman hollered after him as he ran out of the classroom, but he was far more determined on making sure Marie was okay. A streak of blue disappeared into the girls room and he halted to a stop in front of it. Faint sniffling and soft sobs echoed from inside; a pang in his chest kept him from leaving. It wasn’t like Marie to break down like this, whenever challenged she was always the first to assert her dominance. Edd could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her cry, and he wasn’t about to let her tough it out alone. 

 

The young man knocked gently on the door, and when the girl didn’t reply he did so a second time. 

 

“I’m fine. Leave me alone.” 

 

“Marie.. You definitely don’t sound fine.” 

 

“Well I  _ definitely  _ am.” The girl’s voice wavered as she shot back, trying to hold back the second round of sobs. 

 

“Well  _ I’m  _ not leaving until I’m certain you’re okay.” A few moments of silence passed before the squeaky door swung open. The disheveled young girl stood in the doorway, her eyes more red and swollen than before; her freckled cheeks were pink from crying. 

 

Edd didn’t feel like he was all too great at comforting females, let alone one who he still had yet to figure out. The only thing he could think of was to hold his arms out towards her to offer at least some sort of comfort. Marie moved forward cautiously until she gently accepted the embrace. The young man felt his heart skip a beat, her warmth and smell enveloped him and he had to refrain himself from feeling completely giddy about it. 

 

“What’s wrong?” A simple question that had the girl clinging to him as if the floor were to fall out from under them. She broke down again, the effort of restraining her sobs made her whole body shake, and she whispered only loud enough for Edd to hear. 

 

“I’m scared to tell you.” Simultaneously, the girl looked up towards him as he looked down, her brilliant eyes, wet with tears showed a vulnerability he had never seen in her before. The overzealous young girl that used to torment him was gone, and even the girl he spent the night with seemed so far away.

 

“Marie, you can tell me anything…” Her eyes darted away from his green ones as she laid her head against his chest. His heart quickened at the intimate motion and he hoped that she wouldn’t notice. 

 

“It’s just… complicated.” Marie seemed as if she was going to go on, but almost as if on cue the pair was interrupted by the faint rhythmic tapping of tiny heels growing closer. The teens pulled themselves from each other when the waddling Ms Humphries came into sight. 

 

Concern replaced the stern look the older woman normally held. She stood in front of the two teenagers eyeing both of them carefully before sliding her glasses off of her pointed nose. “Mr. Vincent, if you would return to class and hand out the assignment for today so I can talk with Miss Kanker I would greatly appreciate it.” 

 

The taller teen just nodded in response, he cast Marie a fleeting look before trudging back to the classroom. When he entered, it was nearly dead silent. He sauntered over to Ms Humphries desk and tried to ignore the stares he could feel on him. A thick stack of assignments sat atop the teachers laptop, he grabbed the bunch and began his task of handing them out, when he was done he took his seat next to Nazz. She gave him a quizzical look, he shrugged in response. 

 

Fifteen minutes passed before Ms Humphries returned without Marie, a slightly perturbed expression settled across her features as she directed the class to open their textbooks. The older woman turned her back and began scribbling across the whiteboard with almost superhuman speed. 

 

Edd followed closely, statistics was already giving him a headache and it was only 8:20 in the morning. The classroom was quiet aside from the frantic scribbling of pens against paper and the occasional flipping of pages through the textbooks. Double D had a hard enough time concentrating on the lesson itself with the worry of the blue haired Kanker sister looming over his head when a stifled giggle from the back of the room caused several of his classmates heads to turn in the direction of the disturbance. 

 

Double D glanced over his shoulder at the offender who was none other than the same trouble maker from before. The kid leaned over towards his cohort, speaking louder than necessary for no particular reason other than to gain attention. “You think she blew that dork up there for free or did  _ he _ have to pay  _ her? _ ” 

 

The lanky Ed gripped his pen so tightly he was surprised it didn’t break under the stress. He felt his blood begin to boil and just as he was about to explode with outrage Ms Humphries whipped around. Her cold, hard glare bore into the curly haired boy who instantly went quiet and pretended to go about his business to save his ass. 

 

“Mr. Montgomery, I hope you’re content with your actions because they’ve already cost you ten percent of your overall grade for the semester. Such foolishness on the first day of class is inexcusable. Along with tardiness, bullying will NOT be tolerated in my classroom. Period.” With the figurative drop of the mic, the older woman whirled around and continued on without so much as a blink. 

 

The kid sputtered stupidly as the rest of the class giggled at his expense, and displeasure washed over his once smug face. Both Nazz and Edd smiled at each other triumphantly. 

  
  


\---

  
  
  


An hour later and the dismissal bell resonated through the classroom and halls. The rumble of chattering and slamming lockers consumed every possible space as the lanky Edd navigated his way to his next class. A brand new teacher he had never heard of before greeted herself as Mrs. Winslow and welcomed each student to the ‘wonderful world of literature and composition.’ 

 

He’d pushed the odd encounter with Marie out of his mind until the young and vivacious teacher called the girl’s name during roll call. The classroom was met with silence and she moved along to the next name on the list. She still hadn’t come back from where ever Ms. Humphries sent her off to. Worry knotted in his stomach, he couldn’t help but get worked up about her after everything that happened that morning, along with her physical state. 

 

Edd spent nearly the full hour and twenty five minutes over analyzing the situation at hand. He barely moved from his seat as the next bell rang and it took a curious glance from Mrs. Winslow for him to dash out the door towards his next destination. Thankfully he was blessed with the mostly tranquil environment of the library for his study period. 

 

He lugged his heavy textbooks along with him as he etched his name on the sign in sheet. There, towards the top of the list was Marie’s name, scrawled in her cursive-print mixed handwriting that he could only describe as adorably, and uniquely her. 

 

The time scribbled next to her name read eight forty five a.m to twelve ten p.m. He barely missed her by ten minutes. Disappointment washed over him and the hour and some odd minutes after that were only consumed by the countless pages of reading and writing he already had to do for only two classes. Edd was getting ready to lose his mind over it all when he was graced once again by the dismissal bell. He nearly forgot to sign himself out as he rushed out of the library along with the many others that were all too ready for lunch time. 

 

A stop at his locker for his home packed lunch and a drop off of his textbooks had him nearly gleaming with relief and joy. That momentary feeling was only fueled by the unexpected piece of notepaper that fluttered to the floor from his locker. There, as he unfolded the paper was the unique handwriting from before. Edd’s heart leapt excitedly while his eyes scanned over the words. 

 

_ Meet me by the bleachers in the baseball field. I feel like I owe you at least some sort of explanation. -Marie  _

_ P.S. Do NOT bring Ed or Eddy with you. _

 

Three short sentences on the jagged piece of paper carelessly ripped from her notebook had the boy unreasonably twitterpated. His heart felt like it could fly right out of his chest and the huge, cheesy grin plastered across his face would make anyone think he was slightly insane. It seemed like any chance he got to be around the blue haired Kanker sister instantly sent him into some sort of frenzy. 

 

Neatly, he folded the message and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans. He grabbed his insulated lunch box and directed himself in the opposite direction of where he knew Ed and Eddy would be waiting for him. The short cut he took through the art hall took him right to the doors that opened out to the sports fields. 

 

Dark, gloomy clouds rumbled above his head as he stepped outside. It had been threatening to rain since early that morning, to no avail, though the sky looked about ready to burst with a major downpour. His long legs cleared the small road that separated the school and field; before he knew it he came upon the bleachers but he had yet to catch sight of the girl that invited him there to begin with. 

 

Taking a step forward, the lanky Ed peeked his head around the bleachers in search of the other- before he knew it he felt himself being forcefully tugged towards the ground by the hem of his shirt. He yelped out of surprise as his back end hit the cold concrete with a thud and he was greeted with the sparkling tawny eyes and crooked smirk he was slowly falling in love with. 

 

“I took a gamble on which locker was yours, I was hiding in case I was wrong.” A wide, lopsided grin was plastered across her face at the other’s expense and clearly disoriented expression. He choked out a nervous laugh and straightened himself out quickly, trying not to flush at the adorable giggle that passed the others lips. She had an energy drink resting between her legs and a sandwich that looked to only have a single bite taken out of it. Edd unpacked his own lunch, leftover dinner from the night before and a shiny red apple. 

 

Both sat in silence, Edd digging into his nutritious lunch and Marie sipping on her energy drink until it was gone. She crushed the can easily- no sooner had she done it, her phone began vibrating like mad. A displeased, uncomfortable expression settled across her face as she shut her phone down completely. 

 

Marie sighed, tossing her phone into her bag without a second glance. “Look… I just want to apologize for the past month… it's been kinda rough.” Worry pitted itself in Edd's stomach, he could tell things hadn't been the same with Marie for a long time now- before the incident that morning and long before their reconnection at his birthday party.

 

Double D stayed quiet as she tried to find the words for what she was about to say- the girl struggled to even start.

 

“When we did that… thing.” Edd knew exactly the implications of her words and blushed at the memory, despite being quite intoxicated he remembered that night as clearly as it happened yesterday. “I guess I just freaked out…” She peeked through the gap in the bleachers behind her before taking a cigarette from her bag and lighting it. She sighed with the smoke expelling from her lungs and she met Edd's eyes. A look of confusion and hurt crossed his features- she had to look away. 

 

“N-not that it was bad, ‘cause it wasn't.” She stuttered over her words, looking anywhere but directly at him. Silence enveloped them yet again, the lanky Ed had stopped eating and felt as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest- he couldn't help feeling like he did something wrong. 

 

Several minutes passed before she finally broke the tension. “Have you ever been so afraid of something that... you wonder if you'll make it out alive?” The shocking question made his heart thud uncomfortably against his rib cage, unfortunately he  _ could _ relate. 

 

“Once.” One word from him as he bravely pulled his hat away; the dark, shaggy locks fell around his cheeks and in front of his eyes. He parted the hair to reveal the jagged scar that ran from his hairline to the back of his ear- Marie instantly paled in response, her eyes bounced back and forth between her uneaten lunch and the other’s deep wound. 

 

“There was a kid I went to school with back in New York- before we moved here. He  _ hated _ me; unnaturally so, even for a seven year old. He used to tease me and beat me up, normal primary school bully behavior- yet he seemed to target me in particular. I had no idea why.” Edd ran his fingertips along the rough tissue, a subconscious motion as he told his story, Marie studied him somberly as he went on. 

 

“It’s all fuzzy now- but, I remember I was at recess, playing dodgeball with my friends. He stole the ball from me and chased me up the jungle gym. When I got to the top he threw the ball and…” He gestured to the scar. “That’s about all I remember as far as the incident goes. Everything I do know has been told to me by doctors or my parents- I couldn’t remember anything; not even my own name at times. They said I suffered a brain injury, one acute enough to require surgery to alleviate the bleeding between my skull and brain.” 

 

A furrowed brow from Marie, an expression of uneasiness and concern washed over her features, unable to look her friend in the eye- she nervously picked at the chipped polish on her nails. Edd pulled his hat back into place. “I used to have nightmares about him coming after me again, and not being so lucky the second time around.” Green met gold, the sadness in her eyes made him want to change the subject back to her. “Nevertheless, I feel very grateful to be alive- but to answer your question; yes, I have. I understand.” 

 

Marie’s attention fluttered between him and the gap in the bleachers, another long moment of silence enveloped them before she spoke. “Then you’ll get it when I say that the only reason I’ve been avoiding you is because  _ I’m  _ the one with a problem.” 

 

“Which is?” The young man stared at her confusedly and she gave him a weak smile. 

 

Gesturing to the reddish-purple bruise across her cheek. “It’s not like I  _ asked _ to get hit in the face.” 

 

Ed’s comment from that morning echoed in his head and the sinking feeling of him being right left him without much to say. 

 

“It sounds pathetic, but… My ex is causing a lot of problems in my life at the moment.” 

 

“Can you be more specific?” 

 

She hesitates, but continues. “Like, controlling me every chance that he gets, alienating me from my family and friends, the jealousy, blowing up my phone to the point where I have to shut it off for days on end.” The girl sighs and pulls her hair out of the stubby ponytail, running her fingers through the freshly dyed locks. “The guilt trips,  _ hitting _ me…” She opens her mouth to say something but quickly snaps it shut as she looks up from her cigarette that had long burned out. 

 

The gangly Ed didn’t even know what to say or what to think about it all. By nature, he wasn’t an angry person, but he couldn’t help but feel anger towards someone who sounded so cruel. 

 

“I wanna tell you something, in case you hear it from somebody else…” Marie played with the tresses that fell around her cheeks, yet again looking anywhere other than directly at the other. “If you hear about me sleeping with him- or anyone else for that matter, it’s not true.” 

 

Double D blushed deeply at the unexpected comment, as did Marie.

 

“Honestly, you’re the  _ only _ person I’ve slept with. I never… had sex with him.” The sudden confession had his entire face burning with embarrassment.

 

“So… I took your…” Marie's cheeks were flushed so deeply that the bruise was barely noticable.

 

“Yeah, like how I took yours.” She quipped before changing the subject. “Anyway, he's obviously not a good person to begin with, and if he finds out that you're the one I hooked up with, it's not going to end well for either of us.”

 

Edd raised an eyebrow, he could hardly believe that somebody could be that crazy. “Surely he wouldn't go through so much trouble to ruin your life or mine.” 

 

The blue haired girl gave him a sincere look, one that told him the girl wasn't joking in the slightest. “You don't know him. He's done terrible things to other people for less. I just don't want to see you get hurt.” A deadpan response in lieu of her normal tone of voice, the young man stared confusedly, it still hadn’t sunk in how utterly serious she was about all of this. 

 

“Why does he care so much?” 

 

“Because-” A thunderous clap from the sky interrupted the girl before she could start her sentence, followed by the high pitched trill of the lunch bell announcing its end. Edd squinted towards the blackened sky as a downpour of rain began pelting the two teens- even under the cover of the bleachers they were getting soaked.

 

Marie squealed as the droplets hit her face and the pair quickly gathered their belongings before dashing towards the school. They burst through the doors, drenched but laughing like carefree children, like they never talked about anything serious only minutes prior. 

 

“What’s your next class?” Marie pushed back the hair that clung to her face from the rain, flashing the other a genuine smile for the first time since the night of his birthday. 

 

The young man grinned, showing his gap and all without hesitation. “Botany, yours?” 

 

“AP Psych.” She made a faux gagging noise, laughing at her own joke and causing the other to giggle as well. 

 

“At least you don’t have Photography with Mr. Koontz. He makes the room smell like onions and all he does is sleep.” The girl grinned- nodding in agreeance. She’s silent for a moment until she peeks around Edd and spots both Ed and Eddy watching them from a distance. Eddy throwing daggers at her from across the hallway. Edd peeks over his shoulder and motions for them to wait. 

 

“Looks like they’ve been looking for you.” 

 

“They can wait.” Edd says almost too eagerly. 

 

“I better get going, anyway. Don’t want to be late  _ again.”  _ She turns to head up the stairs to her next class but then suddenly whips back around. “Oh! There’s a pep rally during next period, right?” 

 

Edd raises an eyebrow to the girl, she has a mischievous smirk plastered across her face. “Yes?” 

 

“Wanna skip it with me?”

 

“I'd be delighted.” He said without much hesitation. Her smile widened and he couldn't help but stare at her nearly perfectly straight teeth and lips still dewy from the rain. Something about it sparked the longing for her even more. 

 

“Sweet. Meet me by the library at dismissal.” 

 

“Sounds good.” She grinned once more before taking off up the stairs to her next class. No sooner had she left both Ed and Eddy were at his side. The shortest boy had his lips curled into a deep scowl and a look of utter distaste in his eyes. 

 

“What the hell was  _ that?” _ Instantly, Edd fired back defensively. 

 

“I don't know what you mean by  _ that.”  _ He folded his arms against his chest, eyeing the other as his face grew red with anger. 

 

“This goes beyond her just being a Kanker, Sockhead. I've been hearin’ stuff around the school and it's not  _ good _ stuff, either.” An ignorant declaration from the person Edd’s called his best friend for the past eleven years. The lanky Ed couldn’t believe how aggressively opposed he was being towards himself even being around Marie, given how bashful and how infatuated Eddy was towards the oldest Kanker sister. After the fleeting, yet heavy conversation they had he found himself caught up in his own desire for Marie, defending her in an instant. 

 

“It’s all  _ bullshit _ and you know it.” For the second time that day Edd had his two best friends gawking in shock. The -former- uptight, bookworm, Double D almost  _ never  _ swore in front of them, the way he was glaring at the shortest of the group had Ed awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot as his large hand played with the gingery tresses falling along his neck. 

 

The shrill blare of the tardy bell and an unresponsive Eddy had the lanky Ed turning on his heel in the direction of his final class for the day. From a distance he could hear Eddy’s sharp yell from far behind him. “See?! She’s already corrupting you!” He didn’t look back, he just walked as fast away from both of them as he could. 

  
  


\---

  
  


It was the last period of the day for ‘A days’ as the school called it with it’s decently effective block scheduling. It took some getting used to when Edd first entered high school, a shaky transition from the normal eight classes a day- but the young man had come to almost enjoy having his class schedule split up into two days. 

 

He made his way to the class he had been looking forward to the most and the class his mother had nearly talked him out of taking. If it was one thing she was involved in it was his choice of classes for school. Yet- he couldn’t help but feel more excited about the promise of meeting up with Marie soon after the dismissal bell rang, everything about her was currently overtaking his brain. 

 

The greenhouse wasn’t far from the main building of the school- but it was far enough that by the time Edd entered the class room he was sopping wet from the downpour that had yet to let up. He could feel the water dripping from his hair down to his shoulders, regretting not grabbing his jacket on the way out that morning. 

 

There was roughly fifteen other kids standing idly by the door and wall, chattering quietly amongst themselves. Quite a few of them he recognized from his previous classes, though he wasn’t surprised- Peach Creek High was relatively small compared to other schools in the state. 

 

He finds himself alone, despite the familiar faces there wasn’t one he was close to or have really talked to before. As the young man took survey of the classroom and people he caught the eye of two girls, one brunette that towered above the rest, and a blonde- who looked comically smaller compared to her counterpart. The blonde whispered something to the other, without breaking eye contact with him. They both stifled giggles- Edd reddened and turned his attention elsewhere, anywhere but the now cackling harpies.

 

As if on cue; the bell signaled the beginning of class and a person who could be none other than the teacher rushed in looking like a disorganized mess. He looked young aside from his salt and pepper hair that was drenched by the rain, the stack of papers he carried under his arm made an audible plop as he threw them on his desk. 

 

“Sorry for the delay, this dang rain…” He carried on, giving the speech and introduction they’ve all heard so many times before. “I’m Mr. Osten, first things first, let’s start with the seating arrangements.” The older man sifted through the papers haphazardly thrown on the desk until he found what he was looking for. He pointed to the rows of desks fashioned into mini labs- there were ten; five on each side of the room- parallel to each other, big enough to accommodate two students to each desk. 

 

“The partner you get will be your partner for the semester.” A curt statement as Mr. Osten began calling names and pointing to the seats he designated for them. He got to the very last row when he got to Edd. The only seat open was next to the petite blonde with wide, blue eyes- the same one eyeing him only minutes prior. She gave him a lascivious wink from across the room. Edd flushed for what seemed the hundredth time that day and tore his gaze from her- the awkward teenager in him stutters as he calls out for the teacher. 

 

“M-mr. Osten? Would it be too much to ask for a seat up front?” A quick glance at the girl only showed her surprise and then displeasure as the teacher shoots him a questioning look. 

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

Sure the girl was by textbook definition; attractive- pretty face, nice body, exceptional assets… But something deep inside him was screaming at him to stay away from her. “I-I can’t see the board from the back, that’s all.” 

 

Mr. Osten eyes him skeptically, and motions for one of the boys in the front row to switch places. “Alan? Would you mind?” The kid excitedly moves from his seat to the back of the room, clearly eager to sit next to the now annoyed looking blonde. Edd quickly takes his place in the front next to his new partner. A chubby, tanned face flashed him a lopsided smile before continuing to doodle in the notebook in front of him. 

 

The older man cleared his throat, catching the attention of both boys. “As much as I understand the weather outside, there’s no hats allowed in my class, sorry boys.” The two look between each other and carefully peeled their headwear from their sopping wet hair. His partner does a double take as do the few students within the immediate vicinity- in turn with taking off his beanie, Edd’s jagged scar was now visible. 

 

His partner gaped as Mr. Osten continued with the basics of the class, handing out the syllabus they would all follow for the semester. Edd feels the probing eyes of his partner while he attempted to read the outline of the course and he couldn’t help feel at least mildly annoyed at his obvious curiosity. 

 

“Erm… May I help you?” 

 

The chubby faced teen blinked out of his trance, stuttering with the shame of being caught staring. “N-no! Sorry, I just… That’s a pretty gnarly scar, man.”

 

“Oh, yeah. I suppose so.” Edd shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The kid was still staring, his big brown eyes burrowed into him and the feeling of annoyance was about to peak. “Could you…” He didn’t get to finish his sentence, the boy held out a tanned, calloused hand for him to take. 

 

“Ezra Palacios. You?” The lanky Ed hesitated, before he could return the handshake the other spoke again. “Sorry, I didn’t wanna start off on the wrong foot, just thought I’d get to know my partner for the semester.” 

 

Edd mustered a half smile as he took Ezra’s firm grip. “It’s quite alright, Eddward Vincent.” The boys shook briefly, Ezra peered over his shoulder for a moment. “Nice call on switching seats. You really don’t want to be stuck with  _ that  _ one.” Edd peeked around as well, the blonde in the back was grimacing away from the boy known as Alan, who was increasingly disturbing her personal space.

 

“W-well, she seemed a bit too eager about sitting next to me… For whatever reason.”

 

“Well you’re not a bad looking guy.” He blinked at the remark, he couldn’t recall another man ever acknowledging his looks and it made him wonder just what he was about to be dealing with this school year.   “That’s Penny Taylor, she’s… well.” Ezra scrunched up his nose and leaned into Edd so close he could smell the mix of cigarettes and chewing gum. The other whispered only loud enough for Edd to hear. “She gets around. Y’know?”

 

“Ah…” Edd nodded in response, he could only feel thankful that he had made the right decision. 

 

“You know Marie?” The sound of her name had him whipping his head towards the tanned, young man, suddenly he seemed oddly familiar. 

 

“Yes. Since we were ten, why?”

 

Ezra smiled almost sadly, like he knew something he didn’t. In that moment Mr. Osten shot a curious look in their direction. The pair were quiet for a long moment until the teacher moved on with his lesson. “She’s really something else.” Ezra looked around the room, anywhere but Edd’s eyes. “Seen you guys this morning, by the bathrooms. I just want to warn yo-” 

 

“Do I have to separate you two already?” Mr Osten’s exasperated expression instantly had both boys paying close attention to what he was attempting to teach them. Suddenly Ezra’s attention was ripped away, he was scribbling wildly in the same notebook he was doodling in before. A few minutes passed before the curly haired boy shoved a folded paper into the lanky teens hand that was free from writing.

 

Edd glanced over at him but he was intently focusing on the lesson at hand. The lanky  boy opened it carefully and soundlessly, he could barely read the other’s chicken scratch handwriting. 

 

_ I don’t want to stir the pot, but just be careful. Marie’s a good friend of mine and I care about her a lot. She’s going through a lot right now and honestly I’m glad she has someone like you. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders. I just don’t want to see you or her get hurt. Please don’t mention me or tell her that I said anything.  _

 

He read over the note several times. He thought over the conversation he had with Marie before class and he was still at a loss. He was beginning to wonder about just what he was getting himself into, but the image of her crooked smile, bright tawny eyes and multitude of caramel freckles popped into his mind. Somehow he was more than willing to find out. 


End file.
